Without the Darkness
by Sinmora
Summary: Fourth in the series. Sequel to "Neverland in Your Arms" but can be read as a standalone, though at this point reading at least NLIYA would help. Takes place during the second half of S3. Emma has lost all memory of her true love but continues to feel her and catch glimpses of memories of what she lost. Explicit sex, family, angst... you should understand my sadomasochism by now.
1. Chapter 1

Oh, My Doves, because I love you so…

Songs: Gotta Be Somebody by Nickelback

* * *

><p><em><strong>September<strong>_

One glance at her cell told Emma that she wasn't going to make it to the door dressed and ready. She grumbled and scrubbed at her teeth harder. What the hell was she thinking going on a date after so long? Solitude suited her. Solitude and Henry, the only person in the world she actually connected with and understood. Most everyone else seemed too frivolous, too material. It was almost disgusting.

"Mom! Did my new comic magazine come today? I want to take it over to show Nathan tonight," Henry called from the other side of her bedroom door.

"Eck on eh outer," she called back. By the grace of something holy, he understood she'd meant that the mail was on the counter in the kitchen.

A frustrated sigh vibrated in her throat when toothpaste spattered on the green top she'd spent hours picking out. Scratch that, she'd spent hours picking out other stuff, and Felicia demanded she wore the emerald green stretchy monstrosity of a thing that felt too tight despite the fact it would have stretched far enough to accommodate both her and Henry. Ripples of fabric covered her modest breasts and strings ran up each side just in case it wasn't tight enough. It was incredibly girly and incredibly un-Emma.

She rolled her eyes at her wild hair, spat and rinsed. She dabbed carefully at the white spots with a damp cloth and sighed in relief when they disappeared without leaving too much water on the shirt. She fucking hated dates. Shaking hands gripped the sink as green eyes studied the reflection in the mirror. Whoever stared back at her, she felt wrong, out of place and yet like this was where she was supposed to be. Tangled hair tickled her arms when her head dropped between her shoulders.

"_Oh hey girl, I'm Darcy. Mr. Darcy." _

_A deep throaty laugh. A swell of awe and affection at the pure joy in the sound. "Emma Swan, you are utterly ridiculous."_

Emma jerked and banged her elbow on the towel rack. A bitten tongue thwarted the string of curses bouncing around like bumper cars in her mind. Her bathroom freaked her out almost more than her bedroom. That voice. That fucking smoky female voice followed her everywhere now. It whispered in her dreams sometimes, and Emma woke in the middle of the night with the taste of tart lipstick on her lips and a throbbing wetness between her legs. Which would have been wonderful were she gay.

"Fuck," she sniped and stomped out of the bathroom. "I'm having a fucking mid-life crisis of sexuality. I'm 31," she whined to herself and slid into the gigantic green pumps and smoothed her black skirt.

"Kid, how do I look?" She asked her son as she moved a bit unsteadily through the dining room and into the kitchen.

"Uncomfortable," he said immediately and smiled. "But really pretty." Emma narrowed her eyes at the slick save. His grew comically wide, and he hid them in his magazine.

"Hey, what's this?" Emma asked as if her son had the answer. She touched the envelope with one perfectly painted green fingernail and pulled the letter over the counter.

"It was stuck inside my magazine," Henry shrugged and rattled the flimsy paper as he turned with page without looking up.

Emma swallowed thickly, snagged the envelop from the small law office in Maine, kissed her son, and then retreated to the privacy of her bedroom. Despite the creepiness of the poem she'd received last month, she'd read it over and over again until the page became limp and thin from over handling. She'd loved that poem since the first time she'd read it in high school, and someone knew it. Someone also knew that she loved Jane Austen and that her favorite heroine was Emma Woodhouse from the novel Emma. It gave her a twinge deep in her heart, a yearning to be known as deeply as someone obviously thought they knew her. That ache led her to this date tonight that she hadn't actually wanted.

She closed the door and slumped onto the bed. For a few minutes, she simply stared at the address on the envelope and then with shaking hands tore into it. Again, it held nothing more than a page torn from a book. This one contained a poem on each side, but one had a large X marked through it, making obvious which poem her secret admirer meant for her.

_For your birthday, My Dearest Miss Woodhouse,_

_Still to be neat, still to be dressed,  
>As you were going to a feast;<br>Still to be powdered, still perfumed:  
>Lady, it is to be presumed,<br>Though art's hid causes are not found,  
>All is not sweet, all is not sound.<em>

_Give me a look, give me a face,  
>That makes simplicity a grace;<br>Robes loosely flowing, hair as free:  
>Such sweet neglect more taketh me<br>Than all the adulteries of art;  
>They strike mine eyes, but not my heart. <em>

_Love always, Your Knightley_

Air caught in her throat as she read the poem through a few more times. Apparently, the stalker/admirer/creepy as fuck and incredibly sweet lover of Emma Swan realized her messiness in appearance and personal space and found it endearing, found it beautiful even. Found her beautiful. She took a steadying breath and set the torn page in the drawer of her nightstand atop the other she kept there and left the envelope on top. Tomorrow, she intended to call the law office and ask about the mysterious and disconcerting letters. Maybe she really had a stalker. They knew her birthday? Henry hadn't even figured out her birthday yet.

Great. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Still, as she stared at the drawer hiding the poems, something soothed inside of her. Decision made, she slipped out of the skirt and donned instead a comfortable and stylish pair of slacks and a much smaller set of heels. She wasn't girly, and if Jason Moretti wasn't able to handle a woman in pants, then he could suck it and move on to the next piece of ass. Perhaps if her secret admirer wasn't insane, she'd ask him or her out on a date if and when they revealed their identity.

She jumped at the doorbell and sighed. If she'd been reluctant before, now she only wanted a bath, a book and her bed. Crap, Henry was still here. She was a terrible mother. She straightened her clothes, brushed away invisible lint, and listened to the cadence of her son asking Jason a thousand questions. She smiled when he asked Jason what his intentions were and then jerked the door open, deciding it kinder to save the man than to hear the answer.

"Hey, motor mouth, go get your stuff and head over to Nathan's," she commanded as she rounded the corner to the living room. Jason's wide eyes jerked to her in shock. Crap.

He shoved his hands into his pants pockets and waited. The air snapped tight with tension, and Emma squirmed and studied him as they waited in silence for Henry to return. He was handsome, and he was a cop, which meant he understood her job and its crazy hours. Olive toned skin, dark hair that Emma almost wished was longer than the short spikes on his head. An urge to bury her hands in dark, silky hair smacked her in the gut, and she gritted her teeth. This was not the time for one of her crazy flashes, not when Jason was completely freaked out by Henry. The boy clamored back into the foyer and hugged his mother, a hug which she accepted and returned wholeheartedly. He was her world, and if Jason took issue with that, screw him.

"I like the pants better," he confided and kissed her cheek. He was getting so tall.

"Thanks, Bud," she said with a smile and returned the kiss. "Be good and don't stay up reading all night just because it's a Friday."

"I won't. Love you, Mom," he said a little insecurely, and Emma's heart melted. He felt threatened by the man, worried that his presence ruined the date already. Screw that.

"I love you, too, Henry. I'll be back in a few hours if you don't want to stay. We can have ice cream and watch Harry Potter if you want." Emma set her son's mind at ease, and the natural joy returned to his eyes.

"Nah, have fun. Tomorrow night?" He checked, and she nodded. He scurried out the door with a "Bye Jason!" as his parting call. Emma took a deep breath and faced the music.

"He's, uhhh, lively," Jason said stupidly, clearly trying to come to terms with the fact that the blonde bombshell in front of him had a child that old.

"That he is. He's my whole world," Emma informed the man proudly.

"Emma, I… I really like you, but… This is a little more than I'm ready for. Maybe in a few years I'd be ready to take on someone else's kid, but…" Jason stuttered. Emma rolled her eyes and held up a frustrated hand.

"I've heard enough. I wasn't asking for your hand, Jason. I was asking for dinner and maybe a kiss goodnight. One date doesn't make us betrothed." Emma griped and kicked off her heels. Clearly, this was not happening, and her feet already hurt.

"Hey, Swan, look I'm sorry. I'll still take you to dinner if you want, and be a perfect gentlemen, I promise," he said and took a few steps towards her. Emma punched her hands to her hips, a completely different idea coming over her.

"How about we come to a different arrangement," she suggested and smirked. This night wasn't destined to be a complete bust. He froze and dropped his jaw. Was Emma Swan offering him sex, a friends with benefits sort of thing.

"Look, here's the thing, Jason," she started and took her earrings out. "I'm a loner. Always have been." Necklace and bracelet joined the earrings in the palm of her hand. "I mostly date because I need to get off and turns out guys don't actually work like light switches. It takes a few dates, more often than not. So, my question is," she pulled her shirt off and dropped it to the couch with her jewelry.

"How long does it take you?" Emma asked suggestively. His kind brown eyes traced her toned, scarred body. Emma Swan possessed far more badassery than anyone on the police force, except perhaps Jane Rizzoli. Already his groin twitched with the thought of the ride he was about to take.

"As far as your doorstep," he said as they collided in a tangle of searching hands and heated kisses.

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards the bedroom, and he followed willingly. They made it inside the door before she pulled back. She'd never actually had sex in this house. They usually rented a room or went to his place for the night.

"Rules," she said and shoved him roughly against the wall.

"Rules," he repeated and allowed her to do what she wished.

"If you're cop buddies find out," she threatened, and he shook his head.

"This is a ride I definitely want to take again, Swan," he said thickly and then sighed when her hand rubbed his already hard shaft through the fabric of his boxers and pants.

"This is the first and last time it happens at my house. And you better be creative because we won't be using the bed tonight." Emma replaced her hand with her hips, rolling them against him as she worked the buttons of his shirt.

"Done," he agreed.

"Nonexclusive," she said and pushed his shirt over his shoulders.

"Not a problem," he agreed easily and shrugged out of the shirt when she moved to his belt.

"I don't cuddle, and I don't stay the night. The second you ask, I'm done," she said finally. The air grunted out of her lungs when he switched their positions. Her pants suddenly pooled at her ankles.

"Noted," he said and nipped at her neck. Huge hands covered her breasts and she sighed.

"I didn't bring any condoms. In the nightstand?" He said and pulled away to retrieve one without waiting for an answer.

"Stop!" She pushed him away from it and hid the drawer from his sight with her body as she gently moved the letters, snagged the prophylactic, and slammed the drawer shut.

"You're some kind of fucked up, aren't you, Swan?" He said before he thought too much about his words. He'd removed the rest of his clothes while her back was turned. She raked his body with her eyes, pleased to see that he was ready for her.

"That is why we're doing this instead of having dinner, isn't it?" She answered his question with a question and pumped him slowly. He was so ready. She slid the condom down the length of his shaft.

"Anything else?" He asked, not wanting to miss any of her strict rules. She squeezed him almost painfully in her frustration.

"Yeah, today's my birthday. Make it good," she hissed and pressed into him bodily.

He took the hint, shut the hell up and slammed her into the wall again. She weighed next to nothing as he hefted her off the floor and slid into her tightness. It'd obviously been a while for her, so he waited until she moved, not wanting to hurt her. At least not until she asked. She took a moment to adjust to his length filling her. Her head thumped against the wall, eyes wide open, chest heaving.

The pause lasted only a few seconds. Hips rolled. Nails scratched painfully. Jason gathered his sexual prowess and prayed he still walked in the morning. They ended on the floor with her riding him for all he was worth. Her head was thrown back, eyes closed. She squeezed around him, cried out, paused, fell forward and caught herself with hands on his chest. A moment later she moved again. He grunted and came a few moments later.

She laughed and scrubbed her hands over her face, content to recover with his softening member still inside of her. She was an odd person all around, he decided. Painted fingers grabbed his chin and held his head in place as she pressed a dominating kiss onto his mouth and then slapped his face gently as if to say 'Good boy.'

"What are you doing next Friday?" She asked, her face an inch from his. He swallowed roughly.

"If I don't have a case, you," he answered breathlessly. She smiled, kissed him in the same way, and then patted his face again.

"Brawn and brains. I'm impressed," she teased, and then she was gone. "Let yourself out before I get back. Lock the door behind you." She ordered.

He heard the shower a moment later and allowed his head to thump and lull against the soft carpet. She apparently took the no cuddling, no staying longer than necessary rule very seriously. He laid there a few minutes and listened to the shower. His hands shook with spent adrenaline and pleasure endorphins as he redressed and walked to his car on quivering legs.

Emma stood beneath the cool spray, face tipped up. The water soothed her heated body but not the burning ache in her heart. Physically, she felt satisfied, but her soul searched and yearned for something missing from their night of passion. When tears burned her throat and eyes, she slid down the wall, hugged her knees to her chest and hid her face in her knees.

The reaction confused her. Jason was perfect. He knew what he was doing. He was considerate without being doting and sickly sweet. He was the ultimate fuck buddy. She'd searched a long time for someone with his qualities, and now that she'd found him, she felt dirty and emotionally unsatisfied. She replayed the evening over and over in her mind, looking for what he'd done to make her feel like she'd been punched in gut with the end of a ball bat. She came up empty. It wasn't him.

So, what the hell was wrong with her?


	2. Who Are You?

Thank you for the quick reviews! Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Wild Child By Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Memories By Within Temptation

_**October**_

Emma's lungs ached and her legs burned, but she gained ground on the bail jumper running from her. The drug dealing bastard was destined to go back to jail this night, and then she planned on taking some time off. She gathered one last reserve and leapt atop the man. He hit the pavement with a grunt. Dirt, water, and god knew what else covered them as they rolled. Emma used the momentum to ride her feet in a crouch. She leaned on her hand for leverage and slammed the heel of her boot into his face with a frustrated cry. Damn it, she'd just bought this jacket.

The drive to the police station was quiet and smelly. The more she dried, the worst she reeked. Apparently, everyone immediately noticed the aroma when she walked into the lobby. Jane Rizzoli smirked at her and waved. She returned both gestures. The gruff detective knew how to get down and dirty, too.

"Hey, beer later at The Dirty Robber?" Emma called. Jane grinned over her shoulder from the elevator and nodded as she touched the small of Dr. Isle's back as she guided her into the doors.

"Are you going to change first?" Jane asked, rubbing salt in her smelly wound.

"Fuck off, Rizzoli," she muttered and nodded at the desk clerk as she checked the prisoner in. A few uniforms took custody, and she turned smack dab into a solid chest.

"Nice catch, Swan. He had a huge bail, didn't he? As in you just got paid for the rest of the year big?" Jason eyed her lasciviously, and her stomach pulled tight. Yes, Jason, she intended to celebrate tonight, starting with you.

"I've been tracking him for almost six months," Emma confirmed. "He was on everyone's wish list." She smirked cockily. He cleared his throat.

"Got a sitter for Henry?" He asked quietly. She winked.

"See you at The Dirty Robber later, detective. I have a shower with my name on it in the locker room… downstairs in the fitness center," she elaborated needlessly. Jason jerked bodily. The fitness center was closed at this hour of the day. She invited him to join her without actually saying it. He raised an eyebrow and took a deep breath.

"I'm just going to go grab a change from the car," she said and jerked a thumb over her shoulder as she backed towards the front doors.

They held the gaze until she bumped into the glass doors and startled as she suddenly remembered where they were. Embarrassed onlookers averted their gazes. They never flaunted their relationship, but it had become obvious a few weeks ago that the bail bondsperson and the detective fucked like bunnies every chance they had. Though they hadn't heard the words between them a few moments ago, the heated gaze pretty much told them what was about to happen.

And happen it did. Emma never made it to the shower before he was inside of her. Nails scraped up skin as she came for the second time. The pain pushed him over the edge, and he slammed into her a few more times and then collapsed on top of her with a grunt.

"Fuck, Swan," he panted, and she smirked.

"Again? So soon?" She teased, knowing he lacked the strength to do what they'd just done again without a recovery period. She pushed on his shoulder until he rolled away from her and slumped on the floor against the lockers. She sat up on the bench and lifted her hair from her neck, allowing the heat trapped there to escape as she caught her breath.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked carefully, minding her rules. Sometimes she allowed it, but only once or twice if he hadn't pleased her enough. He usually ended up on his knees with his tongue and fingers buried inside until she deemed herself adequately sated.

"You can wait," she huffed and disappeared into the shower. He nodded needlessly and slowed his rapid breathing. Emma Swan was going to be the death of him.

Emma stood beneath the cool spray like always and allowed it to lower her body temperature before washing. The unsatisfied yearning beat against the inside of her chest, and she ignored it. She thought that night in her bedroom a one-time occurrence, a freak anomaly in the life of Emma Swan's sexuality, but its happened every time since then. When it ached too much, she asked Jason to join her in the shower. It was her form of cuddling, of seeking comfort. She had made the rules after all.

She waited until the ache receded into something manageable before shutting off the spray and drying her body. Jason still reclined against the lockers when she returned for her clothes. He smiled lazily up at her, basking in his afterglow. A pang of jealousy cut into her. She used to feel that way after sex but not anymore.

"Hey," he said and bumped her calf with his foot. "You okay?" He asked when he noticed the far off look in her eyes. She gritted her teeth. He'd begun to care for her.

"Fine," she sniped and pulled at the denim sticking to her damp legs. The rest of her clothes followed and then she shoved her wet towel and smelly clothes into the bag before he ever moved from the floor.

"See you at The Robber," she said and tapped across the tile in her boots.

He sighed. Emma Swan truly was thirteen shades of fucked up, and he was falling for her in the worst way. He waited patiently for the day she actually opened up to him or broke down during sex as she normally did afterwards. She never knew how often he heard her soft cries as she rinsed his touch from her body immediately afterwards. He longed for the day when she allowed it to linger, like her touch on him. Either way, he knew he'd never stop what they were doing until Emma pulled the plug. He was too far gone, like jumping into icy water. The fact that it was going to hurt and leave you cold and shivering hadn't lessened the thrill of doing it.

Emma walked into the small bar and grill in a foul mood, which immediately dissipated when she realized that most of the patrons were cops. A cheer exploded when they noticed her entrance, and she took a deep bow. Jane slapped a beer in her hand and clapped an arm over her shoulders when she reached the bar.

"I need a cheeseburger and fries, stat!" She yelled to the guy behind the bar over the chaotic murmur of joyous law enforcement officers.

She sipped her beer and turned to Jane. She discreetly held her hand to Maura's hip from behind. The ME sat primly on a stool and munched at the corn nuts with dainty fingers. After the initial swell of congratulations and hand shakes and back slaps, the other cops left her alone to converse with the Rizzolis, Maura and Frost. Over the past few months, she'd slowly been initiated into their impromptu family. Emma and Henry had even been invited to Maura's Beacon Hill mansion a few times. It's the reason she noticed the small nuances interactions, saw deeper meanings in the innocent touches. Not many were privy to the private life of Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles, but those who were saw the depth and unbreakable sincerity of their connection.

Emma groaned when a big juicy burger filled her vision. She bit into it without hesitation and then nearly choked when big hands slid over her shoulders with uncomfortable familiarity. She lashed out, easily restraining the perceived threat. Jason grunted and held perfectly still. She swallowed the massive hunk of burger and bread in her mouth felt it slid all the way down her throat painfully.

"What the hell are you doing, Moretti?" She yelled in the now quiet bar.

"Swan, retract the fucking claws," he gritted, clearly in pain. She released him with a shove and turned back to the bar.

"Can I get a box, please?" The older gentleman behind the bar nodded and scurried off. Emma swigged her beer and left the half empty glass on the bar.

"Damn it, Emma. You almost dislocated my fucking shoulder," Jason bitched. Emma rolled her eyes and dumped her food into the foam container.

"Next time you'll think about your actions more carefully," Emma berated the man quietly and dug in her pocket for some cash. She tossed a twenty on the bar, grabbed her box and turned smack dab into his solid chest once more.

"Fucking move!" She ordered. This was not how she'd seen the night playing out.

"Emma," he tried to explain himself and then grabbed her face and kissed her when his words failed. Damn it all to hell and back. She hit him in the chest with the heel of her free hand and jerked away.

"Don't do this, Moretti. We got a good thing," Emma warned him in a dangerously deep voice.

"Emma, please. I…" he faltered. Her head dropped back onto her shoulder blades in frustration. Crap on toast. She snapped.

"What? You love me? Give me damn break, Jason," she dismissed him and tried to move towards the door. He blocked her with his large body, knowing full well she could have kicked his ass if she wanted.

"Em, please, wait. Just stop. I do or at least I'm starting to. Just wait," he pleaded. His intentions to wait for her to come to him flew out the window the moment he walked into the bar and found himself overcome with the urge to touch her, be near her, be intimate in public in a way only lovers could. Emma loosed one short bark of laughter.

"You shouldn't. I'm not capable of it. Love is fiction, Jason. It's a fickle fantasy that idiots like you play into. People like me don't get a happy ending. Now move the hell out of my way before I move you," she threatened coldly, pissed as hell that he'd made such a scene.

"Emma," he pleaded but stepped out of her path. "Emma, wait," he tried again and touched her arm. Emma seethed and struggled against his hold.

"Just tell me why!" He begged one more time. He loved her. He loved Henry. He wanted this, wanted her family. Isn't that what she wanted, too?

"Because you're not her!" She jerked back at the bizarre statement, glanced around at the shock expressions and wide eyes mirroring her own, bolted from the bar.

She stumbled into the blissfully cool night and sprinted to her bug. What the hell just happened? Her who? She'd never even had sex with a woman, much less been in love with one. The smoky voice of her dreams flashed into her mind. With shaking hands, she pushed the thoughts away, blasted some 80's metal and drove towards the safety of her home as fast as her bug allowed. She really needed a new car.

Once inside, she beelined to the kitchen and transferred her food to a plate and heated it for a thirty seconds. She'd calmed considerable during the short drive to Salem, but it only settled the rage and embarrassment at Jason's actions, not resolved it. She should have ended it the last time they'd been together. She saw the signs, knew of his growing attachment, thought he'd had enough maturity to respect her wishes or end it himself. Clearly, that had not been the case.

She slumped onto a stool with her plate and a bottle of ketchup and stared at the practically untouched burger. Her head rested on both hands and she stared at the food until her eyes no longer focused and registered what she was seeing. She'd felt this ache in her heart since they'd returned from their camping trip, but the reason remained as much a mystery as the deep, sensual voice in her dreams. She growled and straightened her spine.

She bit off a hunk of burger, not actually tasting it anymore, and squirted ketchup onto her plate beside the huge pile of fries. A stack of mail caught her attention, and her heart flipped in her chest. It'd been a month since the last poem, and she found herself growing anxious to see if another might come. Henry must have brought the mail in before heading over to Felicia's for another sleep over. She'd not anticipated catching her mark so soon, but he and Nathan had probably already started a movie or video game marathon by now. He was fine for the night.

The bunch of fries in her fingers froze halfway to her mouth when she saw that familiar emblem of the law office. She'd called after receiving the last one but hadn't actually made any real progress, not when everything was sealed under the lock and key of client privileges. She dropped the fries and wiped her greasy fingers on her jeans. Like last time, she stared at the envelope for a long moment before ripping it open with shaking fingers.

Like the first two, it contained only a page torn from a book, a poem, and a signature under the name of a fictional character.

_My Dearest Emma,_

_Never seek to tell thy love,  
>Love that never told can be;<br>For the gentle wind doth move  
>Silently, invisibly.<em>

_I told my love, I told my love,  
>I told her all my heart,<br>Trembling, cold, in ghastly fears.  
>Ah! she did depart!<em>

Soon after she was gone from me,  
>A traveller came by,<br>Silently, invisibly:  
>He took her with a sigh.<p>

_Love always, Your Knightley_

Emma followed the elegant cursive with the tip of one finger. The script seemed so familiar, yet she recognized it only from the odd and surprisingly accurate poems that she loved so very much. Either her secret admirer was very lucky in their selection or had spent enough time with her to discover her favorite poems. She traced the letters again and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Who are you?" She whispered as though the ripped page might have magically unlocked its secrets when spoken to.

No response came from the glossy lifeless paper that held so much soul. That constant ache in her heart stirred and grew each time she reread the poem and touched the pen marks of the person she knew nothing of. Tiny splotches of salty liquid dripped onto the page. She dropped her head, pressed it against her heart, and gave into the tears that had been building since her shower in the locker room.

"I'm listening. Who are you?" She asked again, but the silence only inspired more tears.

_Who are you? _


	3. How to Save a Swan from Drowning

This is the last chapter I have written for this story so far, so the rest may come at a slower clip.

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Somewhere by Within Temptation

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><p><em><strong>November<strong>_

"Look, doc, trust me. I know how insane this sounds, but there is something going on, and I can't remember what it is," Emma exclaimed and fell into the plushy sofa with a huff.

"Emma, you also believed that during your last breakdown, remember? I was nearly forced to call CPS for fear of Henry's safety. I'm sorry for bringing that up, but we must keep you moving forward." The kind woman with the gentle but firm voice plainly stated her opinion on Emma's theory.

"Jennifer, this is not like that. Look," Emma commanded and pulled a letter from her coat pocket.

"I got this two days ago. Just look at it. Read it to me… out loud. You read that to me and then you tell me that I'm going crazy. Someone is sending me signals or cries for help or something. That combined with the fact that I seem to have completely forgotten someone who is now coming back… it means something." Emma finished lamely but looked expectantly at the psychologist.

Jennifer sighed through her nose, unfolded the paper and cleared her throat.

"_My Love, My Emma,_

_I__N the deep violet air,  
>Not a leaf is stirred;<br>There is no sound heard, _

_But afar, the rare  
>Trilled voice of a bird.<em>

_Is the wood's dim heart,  
>And the fragrant pine,<br>Incense, and a shrine _

_Of her coming. Apart,  
>I wait for a sign. <em>

_What the sudden hush said,  
>She will hear, and forsake,<br>Swift, for my sake, _

_Her green, grassy bed:  
>She will hear and awake!<em>

_She will hearken and glide,  
>From her place of deep rest,<br>Dove-eyed, with the breast _

_Of a dove, to my side:  
>The pines bow their crest.<em>

_I wait for a sign:  
>The leaves to be waved,<br>The tall tree-tops laved _

_In a flood of sunshine,  
>This world to be saved!<em>

_In the deep violet air, _  
><em>Not a leaf is stirred; <em>  
><em>There is no sound heard, <em>

_But afar, the rare _  
><em>Trilled voice of a bird.<em>

_Love always, Your Knightley"_

The doctor finished quietly. Either Emma had sunk father than she'd realized or someone toyed with her intentionally, and with her career of working with criminals, the latter was a highly plausible possibility.

"Doc, you are the only person in the entire world who knows enough about me to pick out my favorite poems and know that my favorite Austen character is Emma Woodhouse. So, unless you've completely lost your marbles and have relatives in Maine helping you out, I sincerely doubt you're doing this. What am I supposed to do?" She asked helplessly and scrubbed her hands over her face.

"Allow me to recapitulate, simply for my own understanding. For the last four months, you've had flashes of a voice of a woman you swear you've never met before. You have accepted the fact that you are sexually attracted to this woman because of your body's reactions to your dreams, despite your adamant reassurances that you are in fact a heterosexual woman. You believe this woman to be real so much that you ended what seemed like the beginning of what could have been a healthy and supportive romantic relationship, and now you believe she is sending you secret messages anonymously through poetry." The doctor stated the facts plainly, careful to keep judgment out of her voice. She found herself more personally invested in Emma Swan's recovery than she cared to admit, and this huge setback upset her almost as much as it had Emma.

"Exactly! Yes! Finally," Emma threw her hands into the air as she sat up and scooted to the edge of the sofa cushion. Her excitement of finally being understood and believed infected her heart, and the doctor's own fell at the sight. Emma truly believed what she was saying.

"Emma, do you remember why you came to me after you were shot?" Jennifer asked carefully.

"Yeah, I went a little cuckoo for cocoa puffs, but this isn't the same thing, Doc," Emma tried again to explain her situation, to make the psychologist separate her previous issues with the one at hand.

"Emma, you kept asking the nurse for the pretty woman you'd saved, and then spent months looking for her after you're recovery. Do you believe this woman to be that one?" She wanted desperately for Emma to quell her fears, but she knew it wasn't going to happen. Emma had regressed, and they'd all missed it.

"She is the same woman! I know everyone says that she wasn't there, and I can't explain how I know they're wrong. She's real, Jen. I swear it. She's real, and now I have physical proof," she said triumphantly and shook the poem at the other woman. "I just have to find her." Emma's gaze dropped in determination. Her therapist sighed rubbed her eyes with a thumb and forefinger.

"Emma, I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to put Henry through that again. I'm submitting a request for a 72 hour evaluation," she said sadly, unable to look at the crestfallen face and wounded green eyes she knew awaited her across the coffee table.

"What? No, Jen don't do that to me again, please. You know that I trust you, but damn it… I'm not dissociating, Jen. I'm here. I am right fucking here, and my mind is clearer than it's been my entire life. Please don't do that to me." Emma pleaded, and Jen cracked.

"I have conditions, Emma. We both agree that Henry is our first priority?" Emma nodded.

"Good. I need him to stay with someone while you work through this. Perhaps Felicia can step in again," she suggested. Emma rested her elbows on her knees and dropped her head into her hands.

"Give me the drugs," she said in a quiet, defeated tone and then breathed audibly as though she'd begun crying.

"Are you certain?" She double checked. Emma loved her son more than anything, and the thought of losing him had finally woken her up to reality.

"Yes. I won't risk losing Henry again. Just… just give them to me. I'll take them this time. I promise." Maybe Jennifer saw something she didn't because she was on the outside. Maybe she had begun losing it again. Her heart broke. She was so sure, so certain that this woman existed. She sniffed and wiped her eyes angrily with the palms of her hands.

"Emma, we'll get you through this setback. You're okay. Your life has not been an easy one. It's okay to ask for help. You don't need to latch onto this fantasy woman when you have people in your life who care for you and want to help you. Felicia and Jane and Maura and Emily, they're all here for you. I'm here for you. I'm going to have you start coming back in twice a week again, if that's alright?" The doctor looked at the tortured woman with pleading eyes, but Emma never met her gaze. She nodded.

"Whatever you need, Doc," Emma said in a flat tone. She clamped down on her emotions, mentally preparing herself for the artificial emotions created by the drugs.

"It's not about me. This is about what you need," Jen countered sympathetically.

"I'd like to go home now. Could you write me a prescription?" Emma asked and finally glanced at her therapist's face.

Her normally vibrant green eyes had deadened. She'd crushed Emma Swan's hope for the existence of a woman she'd been fantasizing about for years. When she'd come to her after being shot, Jennifer had rarely seen such a tortured soul. She normally tried to schedule Emma as her last appointment of the day because the emotional toll on her compassionate heart was too high. From an infant abandoned on the side of the road, the poor woman's life had been nothing but a string of heartache and pain and abandonment.

She probably would have ended up dead in a ditch with a needle sticking in her arm had she not given birth to her little boy. As far as she knew, Emma hadn't used since discovering she was pregnant in jail 12 years ago, but something had obviously stressed her mental capacities beyond their limit if she'd begun dissociating once more. Her only worry wasn't Emma taking the prescribed medication but also the very real risk of self-medication. Jennifer sighed and moved to her desk for her prescription pad.

"Once a day. Probably best before bed because it can make you a bit drowsy until it works into your system properly." She informed the broken woman as she handed her the slip of paper.

"Stop and fill this on your way home. We need to get you started as soon as possible. I'll have Maria to schedule you an appointment in two days," she gently ordered her client.

"Okay," Emma agreed without a fuss. No one believed her, yet her heart still told her all of them were wrong and completely blind.

"Emma, you have my emergency line. Use it if you need to or come by my office during business hours any day," she added when Emma said nothing else and made no move to leave.

"Okay," she said and glanced up from the square of paper with her medication order scrawled on it. She shoved the poem back into her coat and left without further comment. Jennifer slouched into her office chair and rubbed her eyes again as the slimy fingers of a migraine slid around her skull.

How was she supposed to help Emma when she almost believed in the fervent claims of this mysterious woman?


	4. Earth Tones

Holy wow! Thanks for all the reviews and follows, My Doves!

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Christmas in America by Melissa Etheridge, Mine Would be You by Blake Shelton

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><p><em><strong>December<strong>_

Emma shuddered as another horrid Christmas song blared over the speakers above the tiny mom and pop shop she entered. She shook away the snow from her hat and coat. The man behind the counter smiled up at her and finished ringing up the few people in line. She loved this place. It smelled like fresh wood, a telltale sign of the woodcarving space in the backroom that she'd seen a couple of times when Gepetto took her back to show her a piece of furniture he'd been building. He believed them perfect for her, and they were. Her front porch swing was one of those items.

She asked him one time why he chose to build and carve by hand, and he answered with a twinkle in his eye that he felt that he should earn his name's sake. Then he laughed in a way only a man completely content with life could and squeezed her shoulder as he led her back to the front room. He was a good man, and Henry adored him.

"Mom, can I look around?" Henry asked up at her, already vibrating with excitement. She grinned at the boy despite her slightly foul mood. She imagined it was probably much worst in reality, only dampened by her medication.

"Go for it, Kid, but remember that Christmas is next week. Whatever you want, pretend to be excited when you open it," she informed him. He grinned toothily and took off.

"And don't break anything!" She called after him and glanced around the shop. It wasn't only a hand carved wood shop. Gepetto had built a sort of pawn/handcrafted everything from jewelry to wood/ homemade goods from cookies to lotion.

A rather fussy lady brushed past her, and Emma caught a whiff of that faint earthy scent she'd smelt every now and then in her bed. She jerked back, bumped a lamp with her elbow, caught it just in time. The woman glared at her and then adjusted her coat and braved the crisp afternoon. Her eyes slid to Gepetto's as she reset the lamp gingerly with more than a hint of embarrassment. He smiled at her thoughtfulness.

"Can't please everyone," he shrugged as though it were the answer to life.

"Gepetto, that scent she was wearing. Does she buy that here?" Please say yes. Please. Please. Please tell me that I am not insane.

"Oh yes," he said happily and turned to his shelf of artisan lotions. He spoke as he searched for the exact scent the woman had purchased. "It's not an incredibly popular scent, but I find it absolutely wonderful. My wife wears it," he confided and set a bottle on counter proudly.

"May I?" Emma pointed at the bottle, meaning to smell it more closely.

"Of course! You decide if you'd like to try it, and I'll get your usual plus…" He said with a wink and a nod towards Henry. She grinned at the man. A visit with Gepetto always made her feel better.

When he disappeared into the back, she touched the bottle with one finger and then snatched it up. It looked so innocent. With a steadying breath, she twisted off the cap and inhaled deeply. That scent. That's what she'd worn. It was lotion. She'd worn artisan lotion. Emma gasped as a flood of emotion swelled in her chest.

"_You make me feel beautiful, Emma."_

"_You are beautiful." _

"Emma, are you alright?" Gepetto asked, a concerned hand on her arm. She looked up into his kind eyes and pushed herself off the counter where she'd fallen. She'd found her scent. It had been here the whole time at a place she visited nearly every week for cookies. She was getting closer.

"Yes, just a clumsy day, I suppose," she brushed off his concern. "I'll take two of these." She held up the bottle and then recapped it, unable to tolerate that scent any longer, not yet.

"Alrighty," he said and set another on the counter beside her huge bag of chocolate chip cookies and the rare comic book she'd had Gepetto find for Henry.

It was going to cost her a pretty penny, but she wanted him to have a good Christmas, especially since everyone around her watched them like a hawk for any sign that Emma slipped further mentally. She knew he felt the tension of the stares, so she pretended to forget the mystery woman in her dreams, but secretly, she hadn't and seriously doubted she ever would.

"Gepetto, can I ask you a personal question?" Emma blurted and leaned both elbows on the counter.

"If I can answer, I will," he said in his peaceful way. Emma smiled up at him.

"When your heart tells you that something is real but it doesn't seem logically possible, how long do you believe it until you give up?" She asked cryptically, not sure how to explain everything to the man while they waited for Henry to finish browsing.

"That depends," he answered just as vaguely and shrugged with a knowing twinkle in his eye.

"On what?" She pushed, enchanted by his gentle nature. If she could have chosen a father, she'd have picked him.

"I'm assuming you are referring to some sort of romantic feeling since you spoke of the heart. So, I ask you, is it simply belief and desire? Or is it that which we all seek? Is it love? I've found my true love, and I swear sometimes I feel her move," he tapped his chest above his heart with two fingers. "In here." He smiled fondly. His wife was one lucky woman.

"She has filled me up in a way I never dreamed possible. I was quite the hellion in my younger days. My parents never believed I'd be tamed, yet she loved me and loves me still. When life throws something unpleasant my way, I only have to remember that I had coffee with her this morning and am scheduled to have dinner with her tonight when I go home. It's not the story of legends, but it is my fairytale, my happy ending. So, you need to stop asking how long to believe and start asking if it's true. If you feel her move within your heart, Emma, you will never stop believing." He ended with a wink, and she jerked back suddenly and straightened her spine.

"How did you know it was a her?" She asked warily. He smiled kindly and covered her hand with a calloused but gentle palm.

"I've known you a long time, Emma. I've practically watched Henry grow up. I have never seen you buy any sort of scented beauty product or smelled anything so subtle on you. You're a bold soul. Add that to the fact that this particular scent nearly brought you to tears only a moment ago, tells me that it's a woman who has captured your affections." He smiled kindly and squeezed her hand and held her gaze for an emotional moment. It broke with Henry's enthusiastic chirping.

"Mom! Can I get this!" He held up a dusty old leather book falling apart at the seems with a triumphant grin. Faded golden letters read "Once Upon a Time" across the front. She took a deep breath.

"Really? You want a dusty old book?" She deadpanned. Her son was such an odd child.

"The dusty ones are the best! They have a lot of personality," he explained as if she should have realized this by now. She laughed and ran her fingers straight through his hair, making it stick out everywhere.

"Alright," she smiled and then glanced back at Gepetto. "We'll take that, too." He nodded and rung her up. She handed over her card and readjusted her hat and scarf as he ran it.

"Want to do pizza tonight?" she asked, and Henry nodded enthusiastically.

"Here," she said and handed him her cell phone. "Call it in to Rod so it will be ready when we drive by his place." He nodded again and scurried towards the door with his book.

"Thanks, Gepetto." Emma said as she handed the signed slip back to him.

"You think about what I said," he urged and squeezed her hand again before taking the flimsy white paper.

"I will. Merry Christmas," she offered sincerely as a parting, and he repeated it.

Henry quietly leafed through his new book as she drove them home. She was grateful for his distraction because her mind was a million miles away from focusing on the slick roads. Between the tantalizing scent of pizza in the back and her enlightening conversation with Gepetto, she already reminded herself every couple of seconds to focus on the road. He was the first person who hadn't called her insane or foolish, and it made her mind run away with new possibilities. Relief flooded her system when she pulled into her driveway and killed the engine.

Henry grabbed the pizza and held it flat on top of his book and immediately ran towards the house to escape the cold. Emma breathed into the crisp air and took her time gathering the two bags from the back seat and checking the mail. She actually sort of like the cold. It made the city smell fresher, not quite so polluted. Her heart pounded furiously and her hands shook when she opened the wooden mailbox she'd bought from Gepetto's. She gasped and then looked around guiltily when that familiar law firm emblem waited for her. She steeled her features just in case Emily or Felicia saw her from the window. She must be numb, must deceive them into believing she'd let go of her fantasy.

She ascended the steps slowly and then sprinted towards her room once safely inside her home and away from prying eyes. Henry narrowed his eyes at his mother's strange behavior but held comment in lieu of pizza and his new book. Emma tossed the cookies and Henry's Christmas present on the bed and then locked herself inside the bathroom with the lotion and the letter. She dropped to the lip of the tub and ran a hand through her hair. Maybe she was going crazy.

She touched the envelope and glass bottles in her lap. She wasn't crazy. She wasn't, and this was her proof. She ripped into the envelop with renewed fervor. This one had an extra line added from the normal signature, and Emma swallowed immediately with emotion before she ever read the poem. She cleared her throat with a rumbling grunt and wiped her eyes in order to read the sonnet.

_Merry Christmas, My Beautiful Emma,_

_How like a winter hath my absence been  
>From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!<br>What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!  
>What old December's bareness every where!<br>And yet this time remov'd was summer's time,  
>The teeming autumn, big with rich increase,<br>Bearing the wanton burden of the prime,  
>Like widow'd wombs after their lord's decease:<br>Yet this abundant issue seem'd to me  
>But hope of orphans and unfather'd fruit;<br>For summer and his pleasures wait on thee,  
>And, thou away, the very birds are mute;<br>Or, if they sing, 'tis with so dull a cheer  
>That leaves look pale, dreading the winter's near.<em>

_I will always love and miss you._

_Love always, Your Knightley._

Emma grabbed her chest and immediately gave herself over the tears. She tried to quiet them so Henry wouldn't hear but failed miserably. Her secret admirer, her secret love, sent her messages that she never understood save two. She was loved and she was wanted in this woman's arms, the woman with the raspy voice and the subtle scents.

"Who are you?" Emma asked again and touched the signature as she had with the previous four poems. Again, the paper remained limp in her fingers, concealing the secrets she so frantically wanted uncovered.

After a few minutes, she tucked the lotion and the poem into her nightstand. She splashed cold water on her face, removing some of its blotchiness. Her son required her attention right now, and she intended to give it to him. Later, as had become her nightly ritual, she pulled out the poems and the lotion and drifted off to words of love and the scent of a lover she'd never had.


	5. Listen to Your Heart

Thank you for my reviews and follows! Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Listen to Your Heart by Roxette, The One by Terri Clark

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><p><em><strong>January<strong>_

The spiteful Maine air nipped at Emma's cheeks dampened with tears of frustration. The law office had been a bust. After she'd finally talked her way into the file containing the poems with the desperate plea that she was terrified for her son's safety, she came up empty. There was no name attached, which was more bizarre than she cared to admit. The client paid cash up front almost six months ago and apparently way more than necessary, probably inspiring the clerk to casually forget to file her personal information. She was, of course, denied access to the rest of the poems, but from the stack in the folder, she wagered there were enough for at least several years worth of silent communication. She'd left Henry alone all weekend for nothing.

She knew he was safe with Jane and Maura, and if the weather forced her to spend an extra night away, she felt certain he'd not miss a second of school. It still irritated her, though. She missed him, but there was something here, she felt it. One more day, she decided and studied the gray mid-morning sky as she slid into her brand new silver Camry. The time had come and gone to retire the bug, and the adult decision made everyone breathe a little easier in regards to her mental state. If they only knew that she wasn't here following up on a lead for a case, they'd have her committed by end of day for a psych evaluation at the hospital.

She touched the latest poem in the passenger seat and started the car. As it warmed, she read the words again. Determination and resolve settled into her chest with each line. The mystery sender begged her to return, to find her somehow, and she intended to do just that.

_Emma, My Love, My Heart, _

_Come back to me, Gongyla, here tonight,  
>You, my rose, with your Lydian lyre.<br>There hovers forever around you delight:  
>A beauty desired. <em>

_Even your garment plunders my eyes.  
>I am enchanted: I who once<br>Complained to the Cyprus-born goddess,  
>Whom I now beseech <em>

_Never to let this lose me grace  
>But rather bring you back to me:<br>Amongst all mortal women the one  
>I most wish to see. <em>

_I miss you more with each day, Darling. Find me, My Love. Listen to your big, beautiful heart, Emma, and come home to me. _

_Love Always, Your Knightley_

She carefully folded the paper and pulled into the street, unsure where to head next. Eventually, she decided without actually thinking about it and found herself heading out of town. There were a cluster of small towns in this area. Maybe one of them had something that sparked another memory, a flash of the mysterious woman. She wished for the millionth time that she actually knew what she looked like, but all she had so far was a scent and a voice and a feeling.

A familiar tingle nagged at the back of her mind as she drove further and further into the wilderness. Had this been where she and Henry had gone camping? A big wooden sign welcomed her to a town called Storybrooke, and her brow furrowed in confusion. She'd scoured a dozen different maps of this area and none of them ever mentioned a Storybrooke. Her confusion grew when she drove through the town proper. It was quiet and familiar and felt a lot like she'd found that flash of something she searched for.

She passed a sign on the street that told her she'd found a small diner called Granny's, and her stomach grumbled. Green eyes rolled, but the car stopped on the side of the street anyway. Maps tucked in her pocket, she trudged through the slush in the street and kicked her toes on the steps before entering. It was warm and inviting and smelled deliciously of burgers and grease. Her type of place.

A sharp gasp and the shattering of a porcelain cup against linoleum startled her. A very pregnant woman with beautiful brown eyes shimmering with tears and a dropped jaw stared at her. Crap. She scared a pregnant lady. Her steps were clumsy as she moved forward and knelt beside the mess.

"I'm so sorry. I just barrel into places like a bull in a china shop sometimes. I remember this stage, about six months, right? I jumped and cried at everything, which if you knew me, you'd know how utterly ridiculous that was," Emma babbled as she collected pieces of glass. She grabbed a towel from the counter and mopped at the coffee without standing or looking at the woman. Mess cleaned as best as possible without a mop, she set the towel and broken glass on the bar as she stood.

"I'll get you another one. Probably decaf, right?" She looked around for a waitress but found none immediately, though everyone stared at her as if she'd personally punched the woman instead of startling her.

"Uhh, I'm really sorry," she tried again and actually took a moment to study the stunned woman in front of her.

"It's quite alright," Regina rasped and wiped at her tears. Emma's eyes widened as they met the smoky caramel gaze. The woman cried harder. That voice was so similar to the one in her dreams.

"Oh hey, shit. Here sit down," Emma guided her to a stool and then rounded the counter to fill a glass of water. The woman accepted it gratefully and leaned heavily on her elbow propped on the counter. She sipped it slowly, and Emma fidgeted, unsure what to do now that the woman had begun crying outright. Everyone stared with wide eyes and open mouths. Small towns. She loved to hate them.

"Mayor Butterfingers, was that another mug I heard shatter against my… Oh my god!" A pretty woman with red streaks in her hair stopped short at the kitchen doors. Her mouth hung open like everyone else's. What the hell was wrong with these people?

"Uh, sorry, I startled her when I burst threw the door. Uhh," Emma scratched the back of her head and pulled her cap from her head, suddenly hot with all of the unwarranted attention.

"Alexandra Lucas, get back here!" An accented voice called from the back room a moment before a prissy woman in stylish black snow boots, light blue tights, and a short blue skirt chased a toddler into the dining area. The child wore no shoes, and Emma's maternal instinct kicked in. There were shards of glass on the floor, and she took three steps forward and scooped the girl up without thinking about her actions.

"Holy Hera's tits," the woman deadpanned as she stared at Emma. She was beautiful, despite the scar running down her face. Was Storybrooke full of beautiful mutes?

"Uhh, sorry, there's glass on the floor," she explained and tried to hand the little girl back to her mother. She clung to her neck.

"Uh, it's fine. She likes you," the woman said after a long a long moment. Emma remembered nothing of her time in Storybrooke. Ruby sucked air like a fish, and Regina cried quietly at the counter. Once again, she came to their rescue.

"I'm Belle French," she said and held out her hand. Emma took it with a tiny laugh.

"Like from Beauty and the Beast?" Belle rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you probably get that all the time. I'm Emma Swan," Emma introduced herself and the tickled the girl in her arms.

"And this must be Alexandra," she said in a soft voice. Belle cleared her throat.

"It is. She refuses to wear shoes. I blame her mother entirely. Next she'll be asking for red streaks in her hair," Belle said and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Wolf!" Alex exclaimed and reached for something behind her. Emma turned and handed the little girl over the waitress with big eyes and a wide smile.

"This is my fiancée Ruby Lucas, and this is Mayor Regina Mills," Belle introduced the other two women and then moved to the pregnant and whimpering mayor. She pressed her forehead into the woman's temple and whispered something too low for Emma to decipher, but the woman nodded, patted her face and straightened her spine.

"She does that a lot. During dinner, before coffee, in the middle of a movie, during counsel meetings. It's not… it's not you," Ruby explained and wrangled the toddler who was climbing onto her shoulder, using her hair as leverage. But it was Emma who caused the random outbursts.

"I remember. Pregnancy hormones are as unpredictable as the kids they help make," Emma fell into conversation with the waitress easily now that the awkward energy of her presence dissipated somewhat. Small towns were weird as hell, and it wasn't tourist season, so she'd probably startled all of them.

"Did you carry?" Emma asked and pointed at the little girl on Ruby's shoulders who looked nothing like her two mothers.

"Uhh, no adopted about six months ago. Best decision of my life," Ruby beamed, and smiled up at Alex leaning over her head to meet her eyes.

"Wolf!" The girl howled, and Ruby smirked. She was a good mother.

"Yes, yes, wolf wolf wolf," Belle sniped with endearing frustration. "Are you staying with the wolf or coming to the library. Mama's late already." Belle reached for the girl. Alex wrapped her hands around Ruby's forehead, partly covering her eyes. Ruby howled, and the little girl followed suit. Belle rubbed her forehead in frustration.

"Ruby Lucas." She threatened, and the waitress sobered immediately.

"I want to read, Mama," Alex informed her, and Belle smirked at her partner smugly. Though she wasn't able to properly decode words yet, that never stopped her from tearing through the library and telling her mothers all about the stories she'd supposedly read.

"Fine, go read," Ruby conceded and tipped her whole body forward, trusting her partner to catch the child, which she did. "You needs shoes, though." She supported Belle's decision, and Alex huffed but remained quiet, content to poke at the jagged lines of Belle's scar instead of fight.

They disappeared to the back room, and Emma watched them for a moment. Ruby smiled at her and crossed one arm over her chest to hold the elbow of the other nervously.

"Now that you've been utterly charmed by my daughter, welcome to my diner," Ruby announced proudly and waved her arms around with flourish. "and would you care for something to eat. Actually, if you could do me a huge favor and sit with Regina, that'd be fantastic. We usually have lunch together, but I'm down a girl today. She slipped on the ice and fractured a wrist, so I can't keep Mayor Sassy Britches from blowing something up with her hormones." Ruby blurted the paragraph in quick succession, and Emma reeled with the whiplash. She liked the young couple.

"Uhhh, I mean…I guess I do owe her for making her cry," Emma said and stole glances at the woman blotting her face with a napkin and stealing glances right back. Her heart tugged towards the woman, and she listened, just like the poem told her to. If her heart told her to have lunch with Regina Mills, Mayor of Storybrooke, then she intended to do so.

"My apologies, Miss Swan. I haven't a clue where my mind is these days," The mayor offered as explanation, but something in her eyes spoke of something deeper.

"Wolf Pup, another decaf and my usual if you please," she directed towards the waitress without taking her eyes from Emma's. Ruby nodded. Emma cocked her head at the odd nickname but held commentary.

"You look like a bacon cheeseburger and fries kind of gal, Emma," Ruby said carefully, already knowing Emma's favorite lunch. Emma smirked.

"Add a coffee to that, and you got a deal," Emma piped. Ruby smiled and rapped her knuckles on the counter.

"You got it," she chirped happily and poured the two coffees. Regina reached for hers, but Emma intervened and snagged both cups.

"Just in case there is a encore of my bull in a china shop routine," Emma confided. She wanted to take care of this woman in the worst way, and it confused the hell out of her. Regina's breath caught in her throat. She shook away the sudden tears in her eyes again and led Emma to a table near the front of the diner.

They sat uncomfortably for a moment, so Emma added sugar and cream to her coffee and stirred it slowly as snuck not-so-discreet glances at the mayor who behaved similarly. Regina cleared her throat.

"So, what brings you to Storybrooke? It's far from tourist season, and I'm afraid the weather isn't favorable to travel. A massive storm is expected to hit in only a few hours." Regina started and twirled her coffee mug anxiously, not quite able to meet Emma's eyes.

"Uhh, I know. I'm probably going to end up grabbing a room when it gets too bad to keep driving. I'm from Boston, so I figured I'd give it a shot. My son has school on Monday, so I was trying to get back in time for him to resettle tomorrow night, but he's in good hands." Emma babbled.

"He'd love it here simply for the fact there is a librarian named Belle French. He likes fairytales," she explained and smiled shyly. She suddenly felt like she was on a first date.

"Yes, she's quite a woman. She and Ruby and Alex live with me. I consider them family, and I have more than enough room. I like the feeling of a full house," Regina said with a genuine smile, and Emma started as the expression tugged at her heart. She avoided the subject of Henry, not ready to deal with that heartache when an equally painful one sat in front of her. She was still her Emma, considerate and caring and chivalrous, but she had no inkling who she was.

"What about your husband?" Emma blurted, only now realizing there hadn't been mention of a significant other in regards to the beautiful mayor. Regina cleared her throat and averted her eyes sadly. Crap.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that. My mouth is faster than my brain," Emma bumbled and dropped her own gaze to her milky coffee.

"No, it's perfectly fine, Miss Swan. My partner… she, uhh, she's disappeared. We planned this precious girl together, but the parting was… well, I suppose it was mutual." Regina stuttered, clearly still emotional about the break up.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Emma said and reached across the table intuitively to comfort the woman. Regina inhaled sharply when their hands touched and immediately flipped hers over. Emma's slid into it easily. Her heart leapt and pounded furiously in her chest, and she pulled away, terrified by the reaction. Regina grinned at her and sipped her coffee.

Emma's heart remembered even if her brain couldn't, she realized in that moment. Ruby saved them from addressing the reaction when she sat food in front of them. The waitress squeezed Regina's shoulder and offered an encouraging smile, and Emma wondered if she and Belle had set them up on an impromptu date in order to pull their friend from the depression of a break up from a woman she'd planned a child with.

"Thank you, Ruby," Regina purred. Emma shivered.

"As for my partner, Miss Swan, don't be sorry. I have hope the future holds something better. And you, is your son's father in the picture? I noticed you wear no ring," Regina commented as casually as possible and cut her salad into smaller bits daintily. Emma smiled at the endearing prissiness.

"Nah," she said and popped a fry in her mouth. She swallowed carefully before continuing. "I'm sort of a loner. Don't really do relationships well. My son is the only man I need," she said proudly. Regina smiled.

"He likes books? Fairytales?" She asked carefully. Clearly, Emma loved talking about Henry.

"Yeah, comic books, fairytales, novels, short stories. He devours everything I give him. He's been asking for lessons in foreign languages for a few months now. I try to encourage him as much as possible. I'm an avid reader myself, so that makes it easy." Emma shrugged and bit into her burger.

Regina simply watched and controlled her breathing. She was still Emma, her Emma. She had to figure out how to make her stay longer than a few hours. Had to rope her into returning. Maybe if she made her fall in love again, Emma remembered everything, perhaps even broke this new curse.

"He sounds delightful. What are your literature preferences, Miss Swan?" Regina pushed the conversation forward, proud that she only teared up once while talking about Henry and managed to conceal it.

"Oh, I like everything, pretty much. Henry doesn't get it anywhere strange," she chuckled. "I guess my favorite are the Victorian and Romantic classics. Austen, The Bronte sisters. Uhh, I really like English Gothic. Wilkie Collins and Coleridge are absolutely fantastic. And of course, I just read the Divergent series, so… I like everything." Emma babbled, self-consciously, but Regina's amused smile inspired her to continue blurting words. There was something about the reserved mayor that made her want to share all of her secrets. _Listen to your heart_.

"I adore Austen, though I find the aristocracy of the time period utterly ridiculous. Did people actually live that way?" Regina asked seriously, knowing what Emma's answer was going to be. She smirked and hid behind her coffee cup as Emma flew off on her tangent about Oscar Wilde and the depraved undertow of Victorian society. Her smirk grew as her heart swelled. She'd missed this, the easy banter.

"And you're laughing at me," Emma said with a chuckle of her own. Regina waved her hand as she swallowed her coffee.

"Absolutely not, Miss Swan. I just hadn't realized how impassioned you were on the subject. I think it's wonderful that you're so knowledgeable. Are you a literature professor?" Regina nudged. She knew, of course, that she wasn't.

"Uhh, no. I'm actually a bails bondsperson. I've started taking some classes, though. I'm pretty good with kids. I just get them, you know, so maybe one day." Emma explained, not a hint of embarrassment about her job.

"What about you? Mayor sounds like a whole helluva lot of headache," Emma explained her opinion as Emma Swan was wont to do, vulgar and up front. Regina cleared her throat.

"I rather enjoy the work. I'm a bit introverted so the constant social demands can be taxing, but I'm very good with budgets and planning. I also command a certain amount of attention when I walk into a room these days," she rubbed her belly. "I share the responsibility with my assistant Stacy. She's much more of a people person. What you might call a social butterfly. Wonderful girl, but without my regular intake of caffeine, I'm afraid my tolerance has dwindled next to naught for her perkiness." Regina spoke fondly of her co-mayor, though the haze of irritation darkened her eyes.

"She'll take over completely when you go on maternity leave?" Emma asked. Regina nodded and chewed thoughtfully. She'd be content to give Stacy completely control, but the work distracted her from the major loss she'd suffered.

Regina smiled up at Ruby as she refilled Emma's coffee and slid a smoothie concoction in front of Regina. The mayor wrinkled her nose but slid the glass to her anyway. Ruby huffed and cocked her hip.

"Don't give me that look, Mama Bear. You missed some stuff with your salad. I made up for it. I promise it's better than the last one. I tasted it and everything," Ruby assured her. Emma smiled at the interaction. Clearly, the young waitress held some sort of sway over the powerful woman sitting in front of her. Regina made a face, held her nose and sipped a miniscule amount of the mixture.

"See? Good right?" Ruby jostled her in a condescending voice. Regina glared. Ruby smacked her lips in a kiss and then flitted away when someone in the kitchen called her name.

"She seems like a really good friend. You're lucky to have her," Emma stated her observation with a smile.

"She's my best friend. She wasn't always." Regina grunted nostalgically as her eyes glazed. "We were enemies several years ago. I haven't always been the best person. She and…" _You. _She said silently. She cleared her throat emotionally and pushed through.

"She helped me learn how to love again," Regina squeezed out around her tight throat and sipped at the smoothie.

"We've all done stuff we're not proud of. If my son has taught me anything, it's that we have to take life as it comes and enjoy the good moments for what they are because they are gone before you even know it. I can't believe he's almost a teenager. He's so tall now. He just shot up in the past few months. He's almost as tall as me now, and I just look at him sometimes and think: where the hell did that little boy go and when did this young man take his place? You'll see when she gets that age," Emma spoke as she fixed her coffee and shoved her mostly empty plate away.

"Oh!" Regina gasped and grabbed her belly. A blissful smile spread over her face. "She's kicking." Dark eyes met green, and Regina smiled wider, pretending for a moment that Emma remembered everything.

"Would you like to feel her?" She asked quietly and reached for Emma's hand.

The mayor obviously hadn't shared the joy of her child with many people if she offered such an intimate experience to a perfect stranger. Emma moved before she thought about her actions. Regina's soft hand wrapped around Emma's and pressed her hand to the side of her belly. Soulful brown eyes shimmered with tears, and she smiled as they dripped onto her face. When Emma remembered her, she would have this moment. She'd have felt her child inside her belly. Annabel stopped moving the instant Emma touched the swelled flesh.

"Oh, Annabel, don't be shy," Regina chided her belly gently. Emma smiled.

"I always loved that name. Hi Annabel. I'm Emma," Emma said, thinking briefly that she should have felt awkward and self-conscious, but the sudden enthusiastic punching against her hand stripped it all away.

"Hey! There you are!" Emma exclaimed, tears of her own burning her throat. Children were truly the most amazing things biology ever gave human beings.

"She likes you," Regina breathed and wiped at her face with the back of her hand. That voice. Emma's heart tugged at her mind, and she pulled away when the overwhelming urge to wipe Regina's tears spiked her adrenaline until her fingers ached.

"Milady Regina," a suave voice greeted a moment after the bell above the door jingled. Regina cleared her throat.

"Good afternoon, Robin. Hi Roland!" She greeted the little boy with much more enthusiasm and accepted his gentle hug. Robin smiled down at her and then kissed her hand. She allowed the small show of affection and then cleared her throat when it lingered an uncomfortable amount of time.

"I apologize, Robin. Miss Swan and I were just leaving or I'd ask you to join us," she said, and Emma recognized the brush off for what it was. "I've offered to give her a tour of the town. It's never too early to cultivate our tourism economy," Regina explained and stood. The man floundered. Apparently, he also saw the abrupt departure for what it was, another rejection.

"One day, Regina, I'll talk you into a date," he smiled kindly and stepped from her path as she retrieved her coat. Emma slapped enough money on the table for their meals and a huge tip for Ruby and slipped into her own protection against the sharp air outside.

Emma followed Regina, unsure exactly what the mayor intended, but she knew that she wanted to spend more time with the quiet, sophisticated woman. Regina hooked her arm into Emma's and carefully picked her way through the slush and ice. Emma jerked at the sudden contact and then relaxed. She was pregnant and afraid of falling. It tugged at Emma's chivalry, and she allowed the contact.

"He seems like a nice guy," Emma commented absently as they strolled down the street with no clear direction.

"He's very sweet and a wonderful father, but…" Regina tapered off.

"Oh, right. Not your type. Physically, I mean," Emma tried to decipher the rest of her statement. Regina clicked her tongue and stopped to face her without taking her hand from her arm.

"Miss Swan, my sexuality is above the silly constraints of gender. I don't love him. Though he'd be a wonderful husband and an excellent and loving father, which I know are his intentions towards me and my daughter, I refuse to settle for a love I can live with." She paused and met Emma's eyes in a heated gaze. Emma's breath caught in her throat.

"I'm waiting for the one I can't live without," Regina whispered. That voice. That deep raspy voice. Emma swallowed thickly and pulled them forward, unsure how to respond to the intimate confession or her own feelings towards it.

"I think I've been having the same urge lately," she finally said after a few minutes. Regina hummed, shivered, pressed closer.

"You asked me before why I was here. I'm looking for someone. It's completely insane, but I know this person is sending me signs. I'm not even really sure if it's a man or woman, but I think it's a woman. I've been getting poems from a law office the next town over for the last six months. She knows my favorite poems, my birthday, how my clothes are always messy even when I'm dressed up. It's like she knows every little nuance of my personality that I've never allowed anyone to see. It's insane. I've never even met this woman. I have no memory of her, but I know that I want to find her." Emma explained her entire presence in Storybrooke, fully expecting Regina to run away screaming in fear of the crazy person. Regina's reaction was the complete opposite. She touched the puffy arm of her coat with her free hand and leaned closer.

"And have you come any closer to uncovering the identity of this mystery woman?" Regina asked, a tinge of hope and expectation in her voice that Emma hadn't anticipated. She stopped and stared down at those soulful brown eyes. Her heart tugged. _Listen to your heart_.

"Jury's still out," she whispered, afraid a louder sound would have destroyed the perfect moment they created. The words were weighted with a deeper meaning that they both understood perfectly. She believed Regina might have been the woman from her dreams, the one who sent her the letters, the one whose voice haunted her dreams and waking mind alike.

"Emma," Regina whispered, her emotions of being so close to the woman who lacked the ability to remember her. That voice. Her grip tightened on her arm. "Would you care to stay in Storybrooke tonight and join us for dinner at our house?"

"Yes, I would," Emma said easily, her voice and eyes still deep and husky with emotion.

Regina smiled.


	6. With Bad Weather and Good Friends

Hello Sweet Doves! Just a few points of clarification. First, the Gepetto in Salem is not Marco. I needed a name, and it was the first one that popped into my head, probably because of the woodworking thing. Second, as is often the case when in positions of authority, work has stolen my time, so I will be updating until as late as wee hours of Friday morning. My 5 day trip is now a 3 day trip. Blah. BUT! That means more posts for you while I'm taking care of business. Third, there will be no Robin abuse as far as I can see. Bear in mind that he wasn't in Storybrooke the first time, so he has no clue who Emma is or what happened between her and Regina. He's a good guy. I made the last good guy kidnap Regina, so I figure that I'd leave this one alone. That said, you'll just have to wait and see what I come up with.

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Now That I Found You by Terri Clark, Fall Into Me by Brantley Gilbert, Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans on by Mel McDaniel

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><p>Emma followed Regina into the living room where a fire already crackled beneath the mantle. Regina happily surrendered herself to the plushy leather sofa, knowing she'd struggle when the time came to find her feet. Emma studied her exhausted features a moment and then made a decision. She pulled a seat cushion from the other couch and turned to find a raised eyebrow and smoky eyes glaring at her.<p>

"Miss Swan, what is it you think you're doing?" Regina demanded. Emma smirked. Regina's bark was much worse than her bite.

"Just trust me. Take your shoes off and lay flat on your back." Regina's jaw dropped open at the command. Emma chuckled, and a tingle of giddiness fluttered in her chest.

"Just trust me," she bade in a far girly voice than she felt comfortable with. Regina narrowed her eyes but followed the instruction. The flat position made her back ache even more, and she winced.

"Yeah, that's what I thought hurt. Here." She lifted Regina's legs at the knees and slid the giant cushion beneath them. She lowered them and leaned over the pregnant woman with lower back problems. Regina sighed as the pressure released from her lower vertebrae and the muscles surrounding them.

"Better?" Emma asked needlessly. Regina nodded and rubbed her belly. It was almost as if she and Emma had never been parted, and it pulled at her heartstrings more than feeling her daughter bounce around so much within her womb.

"She's lively today. An absolute treat for my heart, but havoc on my body," Regina explained happily. It wasn't perfect and she missed Henry terribly, but it was a start. Emma found her and wanted to spend time with her despite her lack of memories.

"Can I?" Emma asked timidly. Regina smiled and reached for her hand. Emma dropped to the floor beside Regina's chest, tucked one knee beneath her and pulled the other to her chest. She surrendered her hand to Regina who guided it across her belly. Annabel pressed against her, and she smiled until her face ached.

"I'm glad I startled you today," Emma blurted quietly, the hushed tone the only one she deemed appropriate for this moment.

"Me too," Regina confessed in the same quiet tone. Green and brown met, searched, yearned. What the hell was happening? Emma had asked herself that question a hundred times already this day.

Soft music filled the house, and Emma's eyes pulled to the dark foyer where two figures swayed to the old country tune. Regina chuckled and rolled her eyes. She already knew that Ruby and Belle danced every night after putting Alex down. Weren't they in for a surprise when they find the living room occupied this night? Emma simply watched the intimate moment with curiosity. It felt oddly familiar, like she'd seen this happen before.

The taller woman dipped Belle and pressed hot kisses along her neck. Belle laughed girlishly and kissed her lover as the song ended. Ruby pulled her upright and swayed to the music in a sloppy two-step when another more modern song began. Belle's eyes sparkled with love as they moved towards the living room. That's why the fire had been lit. Emma suddenly felt guilty for intruding upon their alone time. The couple remained oblivious to their presence as they were mostly hidden behind the sofa.

Ruby opened her mouth and surprised Emma with her beautiful voice. The song was vaguely familiar, but she was lost on the artist, though she made a note to look her up. Belle melted into her and laid her head on her chest, content to simply sway and listen to her lover sing to her.

"How can I believe that my heart would find someone like you. You see the real me, no in betweens I had nowhere to hide. You took away the walls around me, made me feel safe to share my truth.

"I see the heavens open. A heart that once was broken is holding nothing back now that I found you. You hold me like a prayer. You touch me everywhere. A lifetime just ain't enough to love you true. Now, that I found you." Ruby was silenced with demanding lips. Hands fumbled at the buttons on her shirt while her own pulled Belle's slowly from the hem of her skirt.

Emma lowered her gaze, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Unless you'd like our guest to see your crazy wolf sex, you might want move this soiree to your room," Regina informed them of her presence, amusement in her voice.

"Fuck my life," Ruby grumbled and dropped her head to Belle's shoulder. Belle only laughed.

"Sorry, Emma. Not used to house guests… or Regina downstairs at this hour for that matter." She apologized and peeked over the back of the couch. She smiled brightly at the scene that awaited her on the other side.

"Is she kicking?" She asked.

Regina nodded and waved to her stomach, granting her permission to touch. Her hand joined Emma's, and her blue eyes glazed with what appeared to be grief. Emma studied her face. Belle French had known great loss in her life. Regina saw the pained expression and covered Belle's smaller hand with her own. Belle sighed into the sudden tears in her eyes but offered Regina a small smile of kinship. The librarian cupped Regina's face as the moment lingered.

"Good night," she whispered, her accent thickened from the deep emotions of the moment.

"Good night, Darling," Regina returned, turned her head slightly and pressed a kiss to the palm of her hand.

"Yes, good night," Ruby said grouchily. "It's the week before, could we hurry this the hell up?" She sniped, and Emma's forehead furrowed. These were the strangest and most supportive women she'd ever met in her life.

"Emma," Ruby caught her attention. "I hope you aren't planning on leaving this house tonight. It's a total white out blizzard out there. We'll probably lose electricity later." She met Regina's eyes, and the woman nodded as an unspoken conversation passed between them.

"I'll check on Granny later since Belle will be otherwise occupied," Regina told her.

Ruby smiled, nodded and then grabbed Belle around the waist. The librarian shrieked with giddy laughter when Ruby tossed her over a shoulder caveman style and bounded from the room. Another shriek followed when Ruby hit stairs with clattering steps and fumbling feet.

"Ruby Lucas, if you trip going up these stairs, I will singe your fur!" She threatened. Emma smiled at the young couple. They were clearly too in love to see anything but each other.

"She's, uhh, stout for such a skinny woman," Emma commented awkwardly, unsure how to follow the display when they both knew what exactly was about to happen on the floor above them.

"Ruby is full of surprises," Regina agreed cryptically.

"I can see why you like having them around. They just make you feel good to see two people so in love, don't they?" Emma continued, staring into the dark foyer.

Regina hummed an affirmative and touched Emma's hair without thinking about the implications of her actions. Emma stiffened and pulled back from the sudden jolt that tore through her. Regina hastily retrieved her hand as her eyes slammed shut against the sudden tears. Emma wasn't Emma yet. Green eyes studied the odd reaction, Regina's closed eyes offering unfettered staring access.

What the hell was happening between them? She'd told Regina more secrets this evening than she had throughout her entire life. She'd felt and offered more gentle touches to the sensitive woman than she ever had with any of her lovers. Regina was the one who had been haunting her for the past six months. She was sure of it, and part of her thought that perhaps Regina knew it. So, why not simply tell her?

"Regina, you can play with my hair. I don't mind," Emma whispered. She'd meant to be angry about Regina's secret, to confront her about how she knew her, but when she opened her mouth to speak, the soft words came out instead. They surprised her even more when she realized the honesty behind them. She really hadn't minded the touch. Her heart yearned for more. _Listen to your heart._

"I'm sorry that I continuously burst into tears at every turn," Regina apologized and hesitantly returned her fingers to her tangled tresses.

"It's okay. Sometimes you just need to share a moment with someone, you know?" Emma's voice was soft, and the short nails against her scalp pulled a sigh from the back of her throat. Annabel punched against Emma's hand, and they both smiled.

Emma readjusted her legs to a more comfortable position, and then laid the flat of her arm along Regina's side. The edges of her hair brushed against Regina's swelled breast when she rested her head on the crook on her elbow, facing away from the mayor. Regina allowed her a moment to settle and then continued her gentle scratching and detangling of the yellow hair beneath her hand. Emma rubbed her belly absently as she gave herself over to the comfort of simply being silent with another human being. They needn't have spoken. It was comfortable and intimate and genuine, and Emma allowed her eyes to slip shut when a tear slid out.

This was what she'd been searching for. This natural affinity for another human being, feeling safe enough to simply be silent in the presence of another. This was the emotional satisfaction that had been blatantly missing from her relationship with Jason. The simple touch of gentle fingers in her hair from this woman filled her with more contented gratification than all of the orgasms he'd given her. Regina was the woman in her dreams. Regina had sent her those letters. Regina had begged her to come home. The last of her doubts slipped away beneath those soothing fingers and the gentle pressure against her hand every couple of minutes from the child within Regina's womb.

Emma awoke to the same soft music still playing. The first rays of dawn peeped through the window. Her legs were completely numb. Her neck bitched at her in a loud high pitched kink, probably what woke her up, and her back ached from the position. A warm hand rested on the back of her neck, and soft puffs of air moved the hair at her ear. She'd fallen asleep with her hand on Regina's belly, but now it wrapped around the bottom of her swelling womb, fingers laced between Regina's other hand. She loathed the fact that she had to move, but her body refused the position any longer.

Carefully, she extricated her hands and limbs from Regina's. The older woman furrowed her brow but remained wrapped in a peaceful slumber. The tantalizing smell of coffee pulled her attention towards the kitchen. Ruby or Belle must already be up.

Geeze, what the hell was wrong with them? The music stopped for a moment, and then a bouncy song about baby having blue jeans on began. Emma rolled her eyes. Yes, Baby does have her blue jeans on. Which one of them love the old country? Belle, it had to be Belle, she decided. Ruby looked like a Lady Gaga, Rihanna, rap and mainstream pop kind of woman.

On tingling, wobbly legs she stumbled towards the kitchen as quietly as possible. Her ears burned the moment she interrupted the scene before her. Coffee spit and spurted the last few drops into the carafe, something crackled in a skillet on the stove. Ruby leaned against the counter with her knees spread wide, Belle between them. Ruby's long thin hands gripped the swell of her lover's jean-clad ass, holding them together. One of Belle's hands was beneath Ruby's shirt, palming her breast, and two fingers of the other hooked into the waist of the waitress' jeans beneath the button. Soft moans and sighs harmonized with the low music as they lost themselves in the heated kiss.

"Shit, I'm sorry," she blurted and turned her back quickly. One of them groaned in frustration, and she swore she recognized it as Ruby's low growl.

"It's alright, Emma," Belle said in a voice strained with arousal. "This one's just insatiable the week before the full moon." Emma slapped a hand over her face. The reserved librarian certainly wasn't embarrassed or timid about their sex life.

"That's, uhh," she stuttered and then cough. "More than I need to know." Belle chuckled.

"You may turn around now, Miss Swan," she informed their guest. Emma was happy to hide behind her coffee cup when Belle shoved it into her hands.

"Uhh, I can go back to the living room," Emma said and backed towards the door.

"Nah, sit, tell us stuff. I'm not sure I've seen Regina sleep through the night in six months, but I bet your neck feels like a bitch right now," Ruby guided her to a stool as she spoke, recovering quickly in her obviously frustrated state. Emma felt as though she was about to be interrogated by Regina's best friends and fixed her coffee with shaky fingers.

"What would you like to know? And I can't promise to be lucid until I've consumed at least one cup of coffee." Emma settled into easy banter with the waitress and tried not to look too long at the claw tracks on Belle's chest and the dark bruise of a bite mark on Ruby's throat. She liked the woman, felt a funny connection with her. She felt an odd connection with all of them, actually, not just Regina, though hers was the strongest.

"You kissed her yet?" Ruby asked matter-of-factly. Emma choked and blew coffee everywhere on the island and stared up at the other woman with huge, comically terrified eyes.

"Ruby Elizabeth Lucas, get upstairs and dress your mini-me before I snap you," Belle threatened and held a rolled hand towel at the ready, and Emma knew the words were not empty if Ruby's immediate flight around the island said anything.

"Fine," Ruby huffed. "But seriously, Mama Bear needs a little bit of lovin' if you get what I'm saying."

"Out!" Belle ordered and pointed one steady finger towards the door and punched the other hand to her hip. Ruby smacked her lips in a kiss and scurried out of the kitchen. Emma chuckled at the interaction and took another tentative sip of her coffee.

"I'm so sorry about her, Emma. She's…" Belle grinned to herself as she mopped up the mess Emma made under her lover's inappropriate influence. "She's incorrigible," Belle finished with a wide smile.

"She makes people feel good to be around her," Emma commented and stared into her coffee. Where the hell had that come from? Belle's bright blue eyes widened, and she sighed with a nod.

"Yes, she does. Apparently, so do you Emma Swan. She's right about Regina not sleeping much. So, thank you for whatever you did last night." Emma opened her mouth to protest, and Belle held up her hand.

"I don't need details," she said as she turned back to the stove. Emma sipped her coffee and studied Belle now that her back was turned. She wore black combat boots, tight dark blue jeans and a simple pastel green cotton V-neck t-shirt with her hair pulled into a sloppy ponytail. Her entire appearance had transformed from the prissy, dressed up librarian she'd seen yesterday at the diner and during dinner last night. This outfit suited her scar better, but not necessarily her personality. She was a complicated woman.

"I'm sorry. I don't think Regina checked on Granny. We drifted off pretty fast," Emma blurted, suddenly remembering Regina and Ruby's silent conversation.

"Oh, we figured. Ruby called about half an hour ago. She's fine. That old battle axe is going to outlive all of us. Ruby worries more than necessary because she had a heart attack about six months ago. She's partially retired now but still helps out at the diner the week before… a few days a week." Belle covered her slip quickly, but Emma heard it anyway.

The week before what? Is it the full moon thing again? Is that why everyone called Ruby a wolf, including her daughter? She had a thing with the full moon? This place grew weirder every second in an endearing sort of way. She definitely wanted to bring Henry here for a visit.

"Sounds like the kind of Granny I'd want around," Emma pushed the conversation forward, unsure if she wanted to address the wolf thing.

"She's wonderful. She taught me how to cook. She raised Ruby on her own, and it's always fun to watch her boss Regina around. Plus, Alexandra adores her." Belle grinned fondly as she spoke of the older woman and her adopted daughter.

"What made you decide to adopt?" Emma latched onto a topic she knew well, children.

"Well, it was happenstance, mostly. Alex's parents were friends of ours. They died in an att… accident, and Alex's grandfather was going to have her put into the system. Ruby and I stepped up, and it was the best decision we've ever made, except of course to love each other." Belle chuckled as she nearly repeated the same exact words Ruby said yesterday. Both clearly found joy and contentment in their decision.

"That's great. No kid should have to grow up unloved. She seems happy. She's coping well?" Emma focused the conversation onto Alex.

"Mmm, she has her moments, but Dr. Hopper, he's a psychologist, assures us that she's on track in the grieving process. She's not withdrawn or lethargic, so the random episodes or tantrums are perfectly normal and are growing fewer and farther between with time." Belle explained and flipped the bacon and stirred a huge skillet of potatoes as she spoke.

"That's great," Emma said with a smile.

Belle faced her again, and a funny look spread in her eyes as her brow furrowed. Talking with Emma felt so natural, like she'd never been gone. Everything about her felt exactly like that woman who had cuddled awkwardly with her when Regina had been kidnapped and let her cry on her shoulder when she came to terms with the fact that she cared for Regina. She forgot for just a second that Emma remembered none of them. Trembling fingers used her coffee cup as a shield.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked. Of course she noticed the change. She was Emma Swan after all. Belle waved her hand.

"Yes, just thinking about Ashley and Sean, Alex's biological parents. I was with them that day when it happened." The lie slid easily from her mouth. The deaths of her friends presented a much less confusing and agonizing conversation than explaining to Emma all of the things she'd forgotten.

"I'm so sorry, Belle. I can't imagine what that must have been like for you," Emma sympathized and kicked herself for pushing the subject as far as she had. The sad tension broke when Regina's angry voice proceeded her into the kitchen.

"I don't care, Stacy. Get out there now! Because I'm six months pregnant and the idea of traipsing about on an icy road in the middle of the Maine wilderness to oversee the removal of trees and power lines sounds as appealing as being in the stocks with a hot poker shoved up my ass. They called you instead of me for a reason. So shut. Up. And do your damn job!" The phone clattered to the counter, and Belle silently slid a small mug of caffeinated coffee to the woman. She usually took her daily eight ounces in the middle of the day, but this morning require intervention and fast.

"Emma?" Regina asked suddenly, confused and surprised and a thousand other different things. She'd thought everything that had happened last night a dream, part of the reason she woke up in such a foul mood. Emma had disappeared and Stacy had woken her on a Sunday before 10. It wasn't a dream. Emma had come home. Emma's eyebrows reached for the ceiling when the mayor suddenly burst into violent sobs. Belle stepped forward and pulled Regina into her arms.

"It wasn't a dream, Belle!" She cried into the younger woman's neck. Emma's mouth dropped open as she floundered. What the hell was happening?

"Emma, could you please retrieve Ruby from upstairs and tell her that Operation Annabel is in full swing," Belle asked Emma. "She's much better at this than I am."

Emma nodded, fled the kitchen and then happily took over dressing the little girl as Ruby flew downstairs as quickly as possible. Why was everyone so surprised to see her? Alex hugged her about the neck sleepily and allowed the new adult to carry her down the stairs without a fuss. That in and of itself was bizarre because sleepy children wanted their parents in the morning until they woke up enough to feel safe and secure. Alex met her for two minutes yesterday.

She held the girl tight and returned to the living room. Alex curled into her chest and played with her hair as she slowly acclimated to reality. Emma held her lips to the girl's tangled blonde hair and rocked her gently. Belle thumped softly across the hardwood, rubbing the back of her neck in a show of her frustrated helplessness. She dropped to the edge of the cushion next to Emma and slumped forward with elbows on her knees.

"Mama," Alex demanded quietly and reached for the quiet librarian. She pulled her daughter into her arms and held her tightly.

"Is she okay?" Emma asked carefully, still unsure exactly what inspired the explosion of emotion. Not that it took much to rile a pregnant woman, but this felt different, deeper than hormones and early morning grumpiness.

"She will be. She's been dealing with a lot since… since she lost her partner," Belle answered quietly. Emma nodded and chewed on the words for a moment.

"She mentioned yesterday that the parting was mutual but that she disappeared completely," Emma said, unsure if she wanted to ask for any more information or not.

"Yes," Belle confirmed, not fully up to speed on what story Regina had given the new Emma. "She'll calm in a few minutes."

"I hope you can tolerate our insanity for another day. Sounds like the storm took down a bunch of trees and power lines. The road out of town is blocked at least until this afternoon, maybe longer." Belle pulled the subject into a more comfortable vein, but it still inspired Emma to scrub her hands over her face.

"I really need to get home. My son has school tomorrow," Emma grumbled and ran a hand through her hair. Henry was going to kill her for throwing his schedule off. The kid was 12 going on 40.

Without further comment, she pulled her phone from her pocket and moved through the house to find a private place to speak with her son. As much as she wanted to figure out her connection with Regina, her son remained her top priority. Any red flag or tiny sign of neglect landed her a trip to court and probably the hospital for a psych evaluation. Jennifer meant well, but she really hadn't a clue how complicated the situation actually was. Despite that, Emma was glad she had someone in Henry's corner in case she went too far as she sometimes had. She closed herself inside a library, Belle's no doubt, and leaned heavily against the door.

"Hey Jane," she greeted when her friend's raspy voice filled her ear.

"Hey, you headed back?" She asked and then cleared her throat. Crap. She'd woken her up. It was Sunday after all and like seven in the morning.

"Uh, not today. Got hit with a huge storm last night. The only road out of this town is blocked with downed trees and power lines. They should have it cleared by this afternoon, but I'm thinking it'd be best to sit tight for another night if you and Maura don't mind getting Henry to school tomorrow." Emma explained as succinctly as possible, hoping her voice sounded much calmer than she felt.

"Hello Emma," Maura's voice came onto the line, slightly less sleepy than her partner's. "Henry is welcome to stay until it's safe for you to travel. Have you made progress on your case?" She asked lightly. Emma heard a rustle of sheets and then the soft smack of kisses. She shook her head and hated speaker phone in that moment.

"Uhh, I think so, but I have a couple more things to check on before I can be sure if the info is good or not. Sorry that I woke you up. Have Henry call when he gets up. I'd like to talk to him. See you guys soon," Emma finished quickly. The line went dead before anything else was said, and she pulled the phone back and stared at it with a smirk tugging at her lips. Everyone was getting laid these days but her. Good for them.

She almost turned to leave, but an oversized light gray chair in the middle of the room caught her attention. It called to her, pulled her closer with its familiarity. She stared until her contacts dried from lack of blinking. Tears wetted the corners of her eyes as they compensated for her determined gaze. What the hell was so important about that chair? Slowly, she moved towards it, not even feeling her legs as they took her towards her destination. A trembling hand touched the arm, and she started when she realized that it had been hers.

"_Marry me, Regina." _

"_Yes, I will be your wife, Emma Swan." _

"What the fuck?" Emma jerked back from the chair, stumbled over her own feet, landed on her butt, scrambled backwards like a crab until her back hit the knees of another human being. Her head tipped back to find the swell of a full womb above her head. Emma propelled herself the other way and stumbled to her feet, catching her weight just before she slammed into a book shelf.

Caramel eyes rimmed with the blotchy redness of tears stared at her in confusion. Emma glanced around the room for another exit. Finding none except one to the outside, she returned her gaze to Regina's. It flicked to the chair and then back again. Emma had begun to remember, and it freaked her out. Regina had been afraid of this, which was the reason she'd held her tongue instead of confessing everything to the love of her life.

"Emma, are you alright?" She asked as evenly as possible.

"Who the hell are you people?" Emma demanded. She suspected they all knew more than they said, and now she knew it for a fact. Something was happening here that she didn't understand, but they did.

"Excuse me?" Regina sniped, trying desperately to pull Mayor Mills into place, react as she should have reacted if a perfect stranger she'd allowed into her home suddenly verbally assaulted her.

"We're the generous people who allowed you refuge in their home rather than tossing you out into the storm. You could have been anyone. If you insist on verbally attacking me, you are welcome to leave now," Regina swatted the distraught woman back to her reality. Pride swelled in her chest as she realized that she'd not cracked a bit under the pressure of the moment.

Emma's green eyes fell sheepishly when the woman appeared to be as shocked by the outburst as she was about the raspy voice agreeing to be her wife. Regina's voice. Perhaps she remembered nothing of their time together as well. Is that why she'd not said anything? Her heart gave a painful twinge in her chest. She wanted to stay, but her conscious told her to go after acting so rudely.

"I'm sorry. I…" Emma ran trembling fingers through her hair and left them atop her head, other hand at her hip.

"It's quite alright, Darling," Regina soothed now that the moment had passed. "I've been blubbering all over the place since you've met me. I suppose you're allowed at least one outburst." She said with a lighthearted tone and a smirk that only tugged at one corner of her mouth. Cheeky, Emma thought. Sexy, the more baser part of her brain added. She took a deep breath. This was going to be a long day.

"Thank you," Emma said and scratched the back of her neck. "I'd like to stay if you'd like to have me," she pleaded with her tone if not her words. Regina's heart burned to strip away Emma's insecurities once more.

"Of course, Miss Swan. I find you rather fascinating, and you'd break Miss French's heart if you missed her community dance this evening. She's already planned to teach you how to dance. She and Ruby are quite enamored with the idea of embarrassing you, I believe." She said with a chuckle and a head shake. She rubbed her belly absently as she spoke, and Emma nearly lost her words under the enchantment of that simple act of love and affection towards the unborn babe.

"Huh? Dance? I don't dance," Emma said in disgust. Regina raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"You will tonight. As you stated, Miss Lucas is rather strong for one so thin." Regina thought her position funny. Emma crossed her arms and glared.

What the hell is a community dance and why the hell was she going to be forced to dance?


	7. I'll Stay

So, this was such an incredibly fun chapter to write! The first person who can tell me what song the line dance steps I included is from, I will write you a side chapter with any content of your choosing.

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk (remix) by Trace Adkins, To Make You Feel My Love by Garth Brooks

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><p>Emma held tight to Regina's arm and escorted her to the Camry. The woman clung to her and held one hand over her belly. She was terrified of falling even though the walk had been cleared spotlessly by Belle and Ruby earlier that afternoon with small intervals of snowball fights and making out in the white fluff. They were soaked thru with chattering teeth by the time they hung their coats and clattered up the stairs with the excuse of taking a hot shower. They may have showered for all Emma knew, or at the very least stood under the warm spray.<p>

They contented themselves with looking after Alex. Emma discovered that she liked spiders. Wolf was more fun to play with, but Mama tucked her in better. Regina was called "Adgie" and refused to be convinced otherwise. Regina told her that the best explanation they came up with was some sort of combination of Aunt Regina because that's what Belle and Ruby called her when speaking to the girl. Also, Alex considered Annabel _her_ baby and wanted Regina to hurry up "basting" the baby, something she undoubtedly picked up from Ruby.

She finally spoke with Henry. He wasn't thrilled about her staying another night, but she knew her son missed her when she worked on cases away from Boston. It never bothered him before she'd been shot, but now he constantly worried about something happening to her with him hours away. It seemed like a logical fear. She was the only family he had. Once his fears had been soothed with promises that she only intended to gather information and not directly engage any bad guys, he calmed and babbled about some experiment he and Maura had done. Apparently, she also gave him a tour of the morgue when she had to go in to sign off on the delivery of a presumed accidental death. He was happy as a pig in mud.

Emma opened the door for the other woman and guided her to the seat, shutting the door as quickly as possible. She'd come out ten minutes ago and started the car in order to keep Regina out of the cold as much as possible. She waited to go until about 30 minutes into the dance with the excuse that she wasn't ready yet, but Emma suspected she, Ruby and Belle had a different reason. She held her tongue and listened to her heart telling her to trust the women and wait until the truth revealed itself naturally.

"So," Emma said as she slid behind the wheel and shook her hair free of her cap. "What exactly is a community dance?"

"Something Miss French requested from the town. The city council is in charge of organizing and providing refreshments. There's even a band being created specifically for the purpose, but they aren't nearly good enough to meet Belle's approval. It's quite a pain in the ass, honestly, but whatever Belle wants Belle gets. She requested two community dances a month, one for adults and one child-inclusive." Regina explained as Emma drove towards Town Hall.

"Gets? What did Belle do to get anything from city council?" Emma asked in disbelief. Who the hell were these women?

"Oh, uh… well, she's a bit of a folk hero in Storybrooke. About seven or eight months ago, Storybrooke had been, mmm, invaded by… a gang of sorts. It was practically lawless for about six weeks. Belle organized a vigilante militia and essentially single-handedly drove them out of Storybrooke. The memorial in the town square honors the lives we lost. We were completely on our own. No one came to help. I suppose gang activity in small towns is on the rise," Regina added, accounting for the lack of state or federal law enforcement assistance.

"Alex's parents?" Emma asked. Regina huffed emotionally and nodded.

"And 42 others that we know of. There are still 4 missing. Belle received her scar that day. She chose to defend Hen… she defended a child they were transporting to a safe house she'd established along with essential supplies. They were ambushed. She saved the boy's life and most of the supplies, but it cost Ashley and Sean their lives. She refuses to speak of it more often than not, but every couple of months, she drinks too much wine and divulges what exactly happened a little at a time. Ruby and I weren't here at the time of the attacks. We were…" she waved her hand at a loss at what to tell Emma exactly.

"We were out of the country on a mission trip of sorts and unreachable. We returned at the very end of the conflict." Emma pulled into a parking spot in front of Town Hall, set the shifter to park but left the engine running. Shadowy green eyes studied her in the fluorescent light of the street lamps lighting the path to the gathering. Music already thumped inside, but the conversation at hand made her heart thump louder.

"That sounds completely insane, like a movie," Emma said and forced her mind to wrap around the fantastical story Regina weaved. Was she fucking with her?

"It was insane." Regina sniffed, wiped her tears. She smiled sadly. Belle may have saved the town, but Regina's hand put it back together. She sensed that much at least.

"The council asked to erect a statue in her honor. She asked for community dances instead. She loves dancing, all forms. I suppose she was something of a champion in her previous land… I mean, her previous town before she moved to Storybrooke. Sorry, pregnancy brain." She covered her slip and pushed forward before Emma commented.

"You have the pleasure of the adults only dance tonight, so you'll see a lot of panting from Ruby and a lot of yelling from Belle. It's all that silly mutt can do to keep up with her," Regina explained what awaited her inside with a chuckle and a shake of her head. "I generally leave after their big half show performance. I'm not much for dancing myself."

Emma stared for a moment and then shook her head as a thousand images of what their half show consisted of if they lacked the ability to keep their hands to themselves while making breakfast and shoveling snow. Regina chuckled at her slack jaw and wide eyes. Hopefully, no one made a scene with Emma tonight. Ruby and Belle left early and spoke with Snow and David privately and then made an announcement before the dancing started about Emma's lack of memory and warned them not to mention anything about magic or her previous time in Storybrooke to her. In theory, everyone should have kept their distance, especially if they knew they risked the wrath of the heroines of Storybrooke.

"Me neither. I'll keep you company tonight." Emma promised and killed the engine.

She had enough to digest about the history of Storybrooke for the moment, so she ended the conversation and rounded the car. Regina smiled up at her when she offered her arm freely without being forced into being her support. Emma understood her concern even if she thought the extreme measures Regina went to seemed overly paranoid. Perhaps she'd lost a child before, Emma reasoned. That would have made her paranoid as fuck of falling and injuring the baby, too.

Their entrance went mostly unnoticed, but Snow and David hovered near the door. Regina shook her head inconspicuously, and they waited much to her relief. Emma was not ready to be bombarded yet. When she settled into the groove of the night, she planned to introduce them but not yet, not when Emma was skittish from the information she'd just thrown at her during the short drive. She escorted Regina to a table against the wall in perfect view of the dance floor and then shouted if she'd like something to drink. Regina nodded and released Emma into the crowd, praying that everyone kept their mouths shut.

Emma nearly tripped over her own feet and stumbled to a stop when she finally found Ruby and Belle. Some weird half-techno, half-country song about honkey tonk badonkadonks blared, and they owned the floor with an odd mixture of two-steps twirls and straight up grinding. Belle's yellow heels were so high that she nearly reached Ruby's height. They were humanly impossible to walk in, but Belle moved at a frantic pace, steps perfect. The sparkly light orange and yellow dress barely covered her ass, and every time she twirled, Emma caught sight of spank type underwear, no doubt something her lover demanded if Belle's brazen sexuality was anything to go by.

Ruby wore a sleeveless shirt the same color and material as the dress. It plunged into a V all the way to her belly button with a thin strap just beneath her breasts holding the material together. Her black slacks had shimmering gray pinstripes in them and covered her shoes too much for Emma to properly make them out, but they were black with a small heel on the back. Her hair was straightened, and the red strips accented her outfit perfectly. Belle's hair had been curled and styled with enough product that held the shape but left it bouncy and natural-looking.

Holy shit. Emma jerked bodily at the sexual energy rolling off the two women and suddenly felt very underdressed in her jeans, black riding boots and heather grey t-shirt. No wonder the place was packed with probably every single citizen of Storybrooke. The child-inclusive dance probably wasn't nearly as popular, she wagered. Her jaw unhinged when Ruby lifted her fiancée easily. Toned legs wrapped around her ribs, and she guided Belle back with one hand in the middle of her back while the other slid up her body, starting at her belly button and ending between her breasts. Belle lifted her hair off her neck and trusted her partner completely to keep off the floor and continued moving to the music.

Emma sobered, though, when she finally moved close enough to see their scars shining and shimmering under the light at different angles. Ruby had only one that she saw on her chest. It was jagged, like a knife wound, but Belle's, however, were proudly displayed. Her legs were covered in them, gashes and scrapes and big spot on her thigh from a weapon Emma failed to recognize. It looked like a stab mark from an oblong object. There was a gash across her chest between her breasts that Emma had missed that morning while avoiding looking at the scratch marks, which were still visible now. The women had obviously been through the fires of hell, and they survived. She liked them even more.

The song ended. Everyone clapped and cheered. Belle dropped back to her feet. A slower beat started, and Belle loosed a whoop and clapped her hands above her hand to the beat. Everyone followed her lead as she guided them into an elaborate country line dance. Her eyes were bright, face flushed, and a smile that went for miles lit the room with joy. This was the reason she wanted community dances instead of a silly statue. This helped her forget, to feel happy and normal. A statue would have been a constant reminder for everyone.

The synchronized tapping of shoes was intoxicating in a way that surprised Emma. She'd never really listened to a lot of country music or learned any type of real dancing in the state homes, but she rather enjoyed watching and listening to the dance. She returned to the table and slid a plastic cup of punch in front of Regina along with a small plate of a little bit of everything from the table of finger foods. Regina smiled shyly up at her and then turned her attention back to dance floor when Belle hollered some lyrics.

"Reckless Hell! I hit just where I was aimin'!" The crowd erupted in snickers and giggles. Apparently, Belle had a few misfires during her stint as vigilante. Regina grinned as she thought about the stories of the magical mishaps as Belle readjusted to using her power.

Belle whooped again and enthusiastically finished the dance as the song ended, bringing to an end the synchronized stomping on the floor. Another song started, and Belle kicked off her heels. Shit was about to get serious. Regina smiled over at her, apparently aware of what was about to happen. She stretched her hand across the table, and Emma's slid into easily without thought. Their eyes held the gaze for a moment and then turned back to the dance floor in mutual agreement. This wasn't a dance they wanted to miss.

Belle whipped her head back and forth as she bounced to the elaborate and athletic line dance. One by one people dropped out, leaving only a brave and fit few to finish. Emma studied the steps and bounced her foot to the infectious beat. Right four steps, left four steps, lasso lasso, two kicks with the right foot, two kicks with the left, right, left, right, left, turn, repeat. Even Ruby looked ready to drop by the end of the song. Four minutes of constant bouncing up and down, half on one foot and half on the other. Emma was tired and out of breath simply watching them.

The remaining dancers clapped breathlessly when the song ended and then scattered as the much tamer Electric Slide started and attracted the less athletic patrons. Belle grabbed her heels and ran to their table. Her skin glowed with a light sheen of sweat and the flush of excited energy. Regina smiled up at her, amused to see her normally so reserved friend in such a state.

"That one gets me every time!" She exclaimed and pressed a hand to her chest and lifted her hair with the other as she slipped back into her heels.

"What do you think of our little gathering so far, Emma?" She asked breathlessly.

Emma opened her mouth to speak but clamped it shut when Ruby arrived with two drinks. Belle turned into her lover and pulled their fronts flush with enough force to jostle liquid from the cups. One hand slid up Ruby's side, paused over a small breast and offered it a brief massage that was far too long for the very public space, and then slid around Ruby's thin neck. Her thumb brushed slowly over the waitress' windpipe as the kiss heated inappropriately.

"Ahem!" Regina pulled them back to reality. Belle averted her gaze from Ruby's and then smiled coyly up at her lover with hazy blue eyes. Emma's brow furrowed at the abrupt change in demeanor. Belle was too complex for words. No wonder Ruby was so enamored.

Emma glanced around as the two flushed women recovered from a display that would have made the Wife of Bathe blush and sat on opposite sides of the table. Half of the people dancing and almost all of those sitting and standing stole glances in their direction. The sexual energy in the room was palpable and snapped tight around them like the crackle of static. Belle and Ruby were envied and desired by every single person in this room right now, male and female alike. Everyone except Regina. Emma started when she turned her attention back to the table and found smoky brown eyes studying her curiously with perhaps a hint of desire. Instead of running from the moment, Emma held the gaze with soft and searching eyes. Who are you?

_"And of every hero in every realm, I will always choose you, Emma Swan."_

Ruby noticed the familiar stare between her best friends and quietly stood, pulling Belle back to the dance floor for a slower number. Belle followed her gaze as they swayed, not really focused on their sloppy and half-hearted movements. Emma's heart wanted Regina even if her brain told her it was insane. Ruby's wolf hearing strained for the words over the music when she saw Regina speak.

"I think I'd like you to take me home, Miss Swan," she said in a voice deep with emotion. She wanted to be alone with Emma, to talk or whatever it is she had on her mind. Emma nodded.

"Yeah," Emma said and jumped to her feet so fast that the chair tipped over backwards. She ignored it as Regina still clung to her hand. She offered her the other as soon as she rounded the table and helped Regina to her feet. It wasn't necessary, but it was very Emma.

Everyone glanced around at each other. Even without her memories, the only woman Emma Swan saw in the entire world was Regina Mills. Snow and David blinked back tears and clung to each other as they watched their daughter escort the mayor from the hall. She wasn't quite their Emma, but if anyone or anything possessed the ability to bring her back to them, it was Regina and her unconditional love. She'd valiantly stayed true to Emma… despite the avid advances from Robin Hood.

No one would have blamed her, especially in The Enchanted Forest, if she'd given in, tried to move on or at least accept the fact that Emma wasn't coming back for her this time. Snow asked her once why she remained quietly devoted to a woman she may never see again. She'd simply smiled, touched her belly that had just begun showing, and replied that she'd doubted Emma once and that she'd never make that mistake again. It was sweet at first, but as she sank lower into her depression, it became sad and almost pathetic, even to those of them with True Love. Even Ruby and Belle had begun to doubt their reunion.

They were wrong. They were all wrong and stupid to have ever doubted for one moment. They may have True Love, but theirs only dreamed to touch the level of Emma and Regina's. Emma had the heart of The Truest Believer, and she'd given it willingly to Regina. How could anyone after her ever have hoped to hold half a candle to that?

They remained silent during the drive back to the mansion. The tension was thick and intimate and heady with unspoken thoughts and desires. Emma helped Regina out of her coat and then followed her into the foyer. Regina stared after her when she disappeared into the kitchen but then continued into the living room. She knelt awkwardly and adjusted the gas control on the fireplace.

Soft music began and then gentle taps told her of the other woman's approach. Emma's chest heaved with emotion and slow steps brought her to stand a foot from the crouching woman. A trembling hand extended, silently asking for her own. Regina accepted and pulled on it slightly as she stood. Emma swallowed roughly and pulled her closer.

"I thought you didn't dance," Regina babbled nervously. Emma puffed an amused sigh.

"I'm pretty good at swaying," she answered and then cleared her throat when her voice cracked.

Regina smiled shyly and allowed the clearly terrified woman to pull her closer. Her swelled belly bumped into the other woman's, presenting an obstacle in their plans. Emma only smiled, touched the protruding flesh with her fingertips and then turned to the side and pressed her front into the side of Annabel's incubator. Her other hand slid around Regina's back. The mayor covered the hand on her belly and held the back of Emma's neck with the other.

Everything seemed slower, more heightened. They moved little more than a gentle sway with a small step or two thrown in haphazardly. Their eyes, however, never stopped searching. Brown glazed with tears that were blinked away quickly. Green flicked to plum-colored lips and then away nervously. Regina's warm hand cupped her cheek with understanding.

"Emma." The savior's breath hitched. Regina blinked rapidly. "I want you to," she continued in a barely audible whisper, so low she wondered if Emma actually heard her.

Green eyes stared at their joined hands on the baby until the song ended and another played half way thru. Regina held her breath when they finally rolled towards hers slowly. Like everything else since their eyes met across the table at the dance, the kiss happened in slow motion.

It was chaste, a gentle ghosting of Emma's lip across hers. Regina waited for the flash of recognition, a flood of haunting and painful memories to explode behind Emma's eyes. Her gut clenched in disappointment when it never came, but her heart swelled when those familiar and much missed lips pressed into hers again. The rhythm came naturally, like they'd never been parted at all, however.

Teeth and tongue nipped at Regina's lower lip, and her mouth parted as she remembered Emma's silent request for access. Tongues slid together, and two throaty moans surrounded them. Emma's hand ghosted over her belly and slid up her side, covering her swelled breast before her mind ever caught up with the limb. She retreated immediately and met Regina's eyes, fearing she'd crossed a line. Regina pulled her back and covered her hand on the painfully sensitive mound, made so by their child.

"I want you to," Regina repeated and kissed her without awaiting a response. She recognize the haze in her bright green eyes and the coiling of her muscles. Emma was as aroused as she was.

"I want you," Regina confessed against her lips and tugged her gently towards the stairs. Emma clung tightly to her hand and followed without comment.

She hadn't a clue what the hell she was doing, but her heart told her to go with Regina. It told her that this felt right. It told her that making love to this woman might be her salvation. She closed the door behind them without speaking, nervous in her inexperience with making love to a woman. Regina touched her face and tugged on her hand until it wrapped around her waist again.

They met for another slow kiss, and Emma reached for the buttons of her shirt with quaking fingers. Regina covered them with her own and met her eyes, comforting her without words.

"I have scars," she whispered, suddenly afraid of what Emma thought of the ugly message carved into her body.

"So do I," Emma whispered and reached for the buttons again. Regina held her hands tightly.

"Not like this," Regina tried again, preparing her for what she was uncovering.

"Regina." Fingertips traced her cheek. "Trust me," she pleaded. Green eyes flicked back and forth as they watched the remaining hesitation slip from soulful brown.

The shirt fell away. Regina studied Emma's reaction with quick, shallow breaths. She read the message carved into the otherwise perfect flesh before her. Later, when Regina felt more secure in her vulnerability, she determined to ask her for the story of how she'd come to be branded in such a heinous way. In that moment, however, she pressed wet lips onto the thin marks and then left a damp trail to the delicious neck and jaw line waiting to be caressed. She rubbed her cheek against Regina's and positioned her lips next to her ear.

"You're beautiful, Regina," she whispered reverently. The words broke down the last stronghold of doubt, and Regina gave herself over to the overwhelming desire that she'd held inside for the last six months.

Clothing dropped to the floor until nothing separated their skin. Emma hesitated after lowering her to the bed. The baby bump threw a curve ball into their passion. She touched it and met Regina's eyes. Was this even safe? She'd been in prison while pregnant with Henry, so she'd not had a lot of opportunity to have sex and hadn't bothered researching that particular aspect of pregnancy. Regina covered her hand.

"It's perfectly safe, Emma," Regina set her mind at ease without hearing the question. It unnerved Emma how well this woman saw through her, practically read her mind. She kissed Regina's palm as it touched her face.

"I'll let you know if something doesn't feel right," she promised, silently pleading with her eyes for Emma to continue.

When Emma pressed a kiss to the swell of her stomach, tears slid silently into Regina's hair. Soft lips moved up her belly, hesitated at the valley between her breasts. A tentative tongue slid over a taut nipple. Regina sighed. Fingertips tickled the sensitive flesh on the inside of her thigh, inspiring them to spread unconsciously. Emma held her weight on her elbow and met Regina's lips in another slow but burning kiss. It felt natural to be with Regina like this, more natural than breathing. All of her nerves about lacking experience slipped away.

Following instinct, she slid one finger through slick folds. A high pitched gasp from Regina's throat broke the kiss. Hands clutched at her back and shoulders as wide trusting beautiful brown eyes stared up at her. Emma smiled down at her lover and slid two fingers slowly into her tight velvet walls. Regina's eyes slipped shut, squeezing more tears onto her face.

Emma built a slow, gentle rhythm and simply watched the different emotions as they crossed Regina's face. Her own stomach clenched and rolled with desire as she took the mayor higher. Hesitantly, she added a third finger, stretching her lover. Regina had been without sex for a while, probably since her partner abandoned her. Emma pressed kisses along her jaw and then licked her nipple gently, remembering how much hers ached during her pregnancy.

Idiot, she thought when Regina's breath hitched. Who would leave a woman like Regina Mills? She pulled back and resumed her observation of Regina's face. Her pace increased intuitively when the walls tightened and her thumb bumped the bundle of nerves on the outside. Regina's eyes flew open as a violent gasp burst from her chest. They slammed shut a moment later when a spasm rocked her body.

Emma stilled and watched her come undone. It was the second most beautiful experience of her life, the first being holding Henry for the first time. When Regina calmed slightly, she pressed the tips of her fingers against the rough patch of skin she assumed to be Regina's g-spot. Another ripple of pleasure coiled the body beneath her, so she repeated the motion every couple of seconds, drawing out the orgasm as long as possible. Regina shuddered one final time and then pressed her face into her shoulder.

Emma pulled free when gasping sobs quaked beneath Regina's chest. She swiped her fingers over the comforter a few times and then wrapped the woman in her arms. Her cheek rested against Regina's and she held the back of her neck with one hand and rubbed the other slowly up and down her arm from shoulder to elbow.

"Emma, I…" _I love you. I've missed you so much. Please don't leave me again. _Regina confessed silently.

She gave up on speaking and found Emma's lips with her own. Emma ran away from things when they made her uncomfortable, and anything that slipped from her mouth would have destroyed this moment. Instead, she spoke with her hands and lips. It took a bit of maneuvering, but she eventually knelt beside Emma and slipped inside of her without hesitation. Emma responded to oral stimulation much easier, but her baby bump had grown too large to even attempt it. Perhaps if Emma had remembered her, they might have found a way, but she wanted this moment free of awkward and fumbling attempts at pleasure.

With her knowledge of Emma's body and the heightened emotion of the moment, it took only a few minutes before Emma moaned and bucked under her hand. She smiled at the familiar reactions. She added another finger at precisely the right second, the one that made Emma still momentarily and then roll her hips harder. She knew this dance, knew every step, and pushed every button in just the right way. She wanted this Emma to remember this moment, to fantasize about her touch, to return for another.

"Fuck. Regina," Emma gasped and tossed her head back into the pillow. Regina smiled and increased the pace of her strokes. A throaty moan followed the increased stimulation. Emma cursed some more in broken sentences.

_Three, two, one._ Regina counted in her head, and then…

"Fuck! Regina, fuck. Fuck fuck fuck." She arched from the bed, collapsed. Regina blinked back tears and waited.

Emma's eyes opened. Regina stroked her in that same frantic pace, pushing her higher. Fingers squeezed her shoulder painfully, and she ignored it. Emma's moans and whimpers of pleasure surrounded them. Blonde hair stuck to a sweat-dampened face and forehead as it thrashed from side to side. Velvet walls clenched around her. Regina bumped her clit with her thumb and buried her fingers as far as they reached and as hard as her shaking arm allowed.

Emma came undone with a sharp yell, shoulders lifting from the bed as her stomach muscles curled into a ball. She fell back panting with a happy smile. She met Regina's eyes, chuckled and threw both arms above her head. She shuddered when Regina pulled free. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, which became deeper with each pass of air. Green eyes stared up at her in surprise and appreciation.

Regina smiled down at her shyly and then dropped her gaze. Black hair fell into her face, and shaking fingers filled with ecstasy endorphins and fading adrenaline tucked it behind her ear. Regina met her gaze once more. Already her eyelids drooped as she fought sleep. Emma always slept after they made love. She pulled at the blanket, and Emma froze, eyes suddenly wide. Crap. Crap. Crap. This wasn't her Emma.

"I… you don't have to stay," Regina offered quickly. Her heart broke a little bit, and she clamped down on the grief. This was temporary. Emma was coming home to her.

"Do you want me to stay?" Emma asked seriously. Regina nodded, not trusting her voice and not quite able to meet Emma's eyes. Emma watched the fear play across Regina's features.

She never stayed the night. She only cuddled with her son, and that was as far from sexual as it got. She never stayed the night. Staying the night meant opening herself up to the vulnerability that sex, good sex anyway, always brought while the pleasure endorphins tore down her defenses. She never stayed the night, and yet…

"Then I'll stay," she rasped.

Regina nodded again and reached for the blankets. Emma squirmed beneath them and opened her arms. Regina slid into her without hesitation. Emma rolled onto her side to accommodate Annabel as Regina curled into her chest. She was scared shitless and held perfectly still. Regina sensed the anxious tension and pressed her hand to Emma's chest above her heart, avoiding the thoughts of how easy it would have been to insert her hand and grasp the powerful organ that beat there.

Emma relaxed under the touch as she realized that Regina shared her fear. She'd been burned as badly as Emma, the proof of that lay between them in her womb. Who left a woman like Regina Mills?

Slowly, she slid a hand over the swell of flesh. Regina gasped a sob into her chest. Emma tightened the arm around her shoulders and rubbed her belly lightly. Finally, that thing she'd desperately yearned for wrapped its warm fingers around her heart. Contentment. Emotional and physical satisfaction combined in one moment, as if her body and emotions were no longer two different things.

Sleep tugged her under, and for the first time in months, that raspy voice inside her mind remained silent. It needn't remind her of what she'd lost any longer because it lay in her arms, drifting off beside her.

"I found you," Emma whispered.


	8. Coming Home

I seemed to have asked a trick question. The song is not "Bubba Shot the Jukebox." Belle does scream some lyrics from that song, but if you read closely, it ends before the crazy stupid fast dance comes on. I've never ever seen this dance used with any other song. Think early 90's and straight up Jock Jams. Haha!

Thank you for my reviews! Holy wow, I'm overwhelmed by how popular this story is right off the bat. :)

Songs: Fearless by Taylor Swift

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><p>Tickles. Emma groaned. The feathery touches on her scars disappeared, and she relaxed into the in-between place between sleep and wakefulness. She was cocooned in warmth and comfortable and intended to bask in this feeling until her bladder demanded otherwise. The tickling sensation reappeared a moment later, and she growled. A deep chuckle vibrated against her chest, startling her into reality. Green eyes cracked open, happy that the room was shut tightly against the morning light peeping around the curtains.<p>

"Good morning," Regina whispered when her neck craned enough for their eyes to meet.

Last night crashed into her. Adrenaline spiked, sending her heart into a sprint through her veins. She took a deep breath. She'd stayed the night and hadn't woken up alone. The thought calmed her enough to glance at the clock on the nightstand. It was after nine. Regina listened to the furious pounding beneath her ear and smiled. Emma hadn't changed a bit. She was freaked out, and it made Regina fall in love with her all over again.

"Hey," Emma said and rubbed at her contacts. God, she was so Emma.

Regina's heart clenched and she raised her head to better study Emma's face. Emma breathed heavily, but a small smile pulled at her lips. Cold fingers brushed dark hair from her face and tucked it behind an ear. Regina smiled shyly.

"I do believe I'm a loss for words," Regina admitted and dropped her gaze to Emma's chest. Emma brought it back with a soft hand on her cheek.

"Then how 'bout a kiss?" She suggested, not quite sure what to say either. Regina smiled, and a vein in her forehead rose and throbbed with emotion. They'd always sucked at talking.

Her hand slid over Emma's defined collarbone as she brought their lips together. It was chaste and sweet. Regina pulled back and studied Emma just as she had the previous night. No reaction. No burst of energy released them from their amnesia. Emma's brow furrowed. What was Regina waiting for?

The thought slipped to the back of her mind when those now flesh tone lips returned to hers. She buried her hand into dark hair and held them together, allowing the kiss to wax and wane as it wished. Reluctantly, Regina pulled away with a rumbling sigh in the back of her throat. Her expression looked pained and she rubbed furiously at her stomach just below her ribs.

"Are you okay?" Emma jerked up, alert and focused and fully awake.

"Yes. She jumped underneath my ribs. This is a daily occurrence. I've long lost concern when it happens. It's mildly painful is all," Regina explained and glared at the little girl in her womb who already struggled with sitting in one place too long, just like Emma.

Emma fell back into the pillows, one hand over her eyes and the other on her pounding heart. She'd been terrified of hurting Regina and Annabel last night, and the babe's good morning greeting had done her heart no good except to check that it's still in working condition. Regina melted at the reaction. She pulled Emma's hand from her heart and moved it to her belly. Slowly, Emma pulled her hand from her eyes one finger at a time.

A wave of giddiness fluttered in her chest, and she scooted down the bed until her head was beneath the cover. Regina glared at the crown of blonde hair, the only part of Emma still visible. She squeaked when wet lips vibrated against her belly. Annabel thrashed towards the stimulation but moved away from her ribs. She enjoyed the relief exactly one second.

"Annabel! Good morning!" Emma blew another raspberry against her belly. Regina squirmed as the silly gesture tickled.

"Emma!" She swatted at the blanket, but Emma only moved to the side of her belly and blew her lips again. Regina laughed and squirmed. Annabel kicked and swam towards the mother who couldn't remember her conception.

"Annabel! Why you be mean to your mommy!" Emma chided and shook Regina's belly gently with a hand on top.

"Emma Swan, get up here!" Regina demanded and lifted the blanket to find a devilish smirk and shadowed green eyes turned towards her mischievously.

"Whatever it is you have in you head, don't," Regina threatened, hating the smile that belied her joy. Emma squirmed until she was between her legs. Regina's eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't." Regina uttered as she realized what Emma intended. Emma smirked and wrinkled her nose as though she thought hard about what she was about to do. She blew on the bottom swell of Regina's belly. Annabel followed. She knew her mother, probably felt the pull of Emma's power.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed and glared at her when she lay beside her once more, head propped in her hand, devilish smile in place.

"I can't believe you just did that," Regina sniped, not nearly as upset as she should have been.

She took a deep breath as their daughter settled against her bladder and flipped the blanket off. She ran her tongue over her teeth when she reached the foot of the bed. Before Emma caught them, the blankets followed Regina to the bathroom. Emma shivered immediately and rubbed her arms to generate friction. Okay, she deserved that. Unable to tolerate the sudden cold, she dressed quickly. Regina emerged a minute later, utterly happy with her decision to take back the master bedroom with the en suite bathroom.

Emma raised an eyebrow when Regina pursed her lips and glared. She bit her lower lip and inched by the angry pregnant lady wrapped in a blanket and closed herself in the bathroom. She did her business, splashed water on her face and rinsed her mouth with the mouthwash she found. By the time she emerged, Regina was dressed and making the bed. Emma rushed forward and grabbed an edge of the blanket and sheet.

"Let me help. I helped mess it up after all," Emma said with a suggestive glint in her voice. One side of Regina's mouth tugged into a smirk.

"What? Ready to go again?" Emma wiggled her eyebrows, only half joking. Despite being pregnant, Regina got her off without any trouble. She knew exactly how to touch her, exactly what drove her insane, exactly how to respond when she'd freaked about staying the night. The feeling of being known intoxicated her, and she longed to feel it again.

Emma felt like a rabbit being pounced upon by a sleek panther as Regina rounded the bed. Emma turned to face her, slid her hands over the bump between them as Regina pressed into her. Emma slid to the side of the protruding belly and pressed her lips to the one's with plum colored lipstick staining them once more. Regina hummed, hands gliding up her lover's sides. They rested on her ribs for just a moment and then firmly took hold of her breasts. Regina slid their cheeks together and brushed the shell of Emma's ear with her lips.

"If I gave it all away now, you'd have no reason to come back," she whispered, intentionally dropped her voice to a deep and raspy octave, the one that made Emma shiver as tendrils of pleasure moved through her body and pooled in her groin.

This moment was no different. Emma's body trembled against hers, and Regina pulled away and left the room without further comment or eye contact. A long breath puffed through Emma's lips as she turned and stared after the surprisingly now bold mayor. And then she did something she'd never done before: she chased after her. Her steps were so fast that her boot slipped off the bottom stair and she nearly bit it, saved only by her firm grip on the rail.

Her ears burned. Regina glanced over her shoulder, smirked, continued to the kitchen. Emma followed at a slower pace. The scent of coffee infiltrated her nostrils just outside the kitchen door, and she sent a silent prayer up for Belle French and Ruby Lucas, the coffee goddesses of Storybrooke. Her brow furrowed when she saw Belle's gigantic heels near the door of the kitchen.

She nearly choked when she found Belle in the kitchen in the same yellow and orange dress she'd worn last night. Her hair was some kind of fucked up. There were bruises and scratches all over, and when Belle moved to the island with her cup of coffee, she winced and grabbed her back. What they fuck had they done last night and why hadn't she or Regina heard them?

"Did you just get in?" She blurted before she stopped herself. Belle glared at her, touched Regina's shoulder and left the kitchen with her coffee. Emma bit her lip in effort to contain her laughter. Regina cleared her throat and sipped at some tea.

"She and Ruby stayed at the loft above the library last night," Regina answered the question. She had grown accustomed to the antics of her housemates the week before the full moon. She'd never seen Belle so banged up or twitchy in the back before, but then the night before the full moon had never fallen on a dance night before. Ruby hadn't been wearing her cloak, Regina only realized, which meant she'd spent all night riling her wolf during a time when she should have been changing. She'd stopped the transformation and released the frustration on Belle. Holy Shit. Belle's lucky to be walking.

"We've been invited to lunch today before you leave, Miss Swan," Regina changed the subject quickly. There was no good way to explain Ruby's sexual aggression during the full moon, though someone as observant as Emma probably already noticed something funky.

"We're to wake Miss French before we go as she would like to join us. Our friends Mary Margaret and David will be joining us. They're irritatingly optimistic people, but we wouldn't have them any other way." Emma slumped onto the stool with her sweet and milky concoction, propped her head in her head and stared at Regina.

"Who says I'm staying for lunch?" Emma teased, knowing full well she had time as long as she called Felicia to get Henry off the bus after school.

"Annabel," Regina said easily without looking at Emma. "She's quite persistent." Regina sipped her tea and rolled twinkling eyes towards her. Emma smiled and nodded once slowly and scalded her mouth with coffee.

"How can I say no to that?" Emma bantered roughly and shoved her coffee away in a tiff. How dare it destroy her suave? Regina hid behind her tea with a distant, pained look in her eyes. She averted them quickly, but Emma saw it.

"Hey," she said as she stood and took Regina's tea cup and set it on the counter beside her mug. Calloused hands found dark hair and gripped firmly. Regina's knees spread, accommodating her body, and she clutched at her shirt over her waist.

"I'll be back," Emma promised. "I have to go take care of my son, but I'll be back." Regina nodded, suddenly reminded of the boy she'd raised for 11 years.

"Of course, Emma. I'd never ask you to neglect your responsibilities. I only wish there were more time." Regina's cheek fell to her collarbone, and Emma pressed her lips to the crown of dark hair and left them there.

Regina must have already been an incredibly sensitive creature before her pregnancy. As much as she'd cried, she hadn't cried nearly this much. It was sweet, and comforting the other woman made her feel strong and complete. Life intended her to do this over and over until Regina found no more reason to cry, she was sure of it. It was like a calling deep in her soul. She pulled away gently, not wanting to startle or reject the other woman, but it was simply too much. She was afraid, and Regina needed to understand that. Emma Swan was a lone wolf, but she wanted to try.

"So, who are Mary Margaret and David, and why do they want to have lunch with me?" Emma asked suddenly and tipped her head down as she pulled back but not out of Regina's grasp.

"Emma," Regina huffed in frustration. How was she supposed to explain her parents? "Just shut up and kiss me." The command surprised both of them.

Emma surprised them more when she obliged without protest. She spun Regina on the stool and leaned her back against the island. Regina laughed and buried her hands in golden as Emma attacked her throat with persistent kisses. Large, cold hands slid up her thighs and beneath her shirt. Regina sighed breathily when they gently covered her breasts, mindful of their soreness. Even lacking memories, Emma was so considerate and self-sacrificing, and the conflagration of passion she'd locked away for so long ignited again.

"Emma, I am far too pregnant to have sex in the kitchen. So, please stop or take me upstairs." Regina's voice was thick and tight, and her smoky brown eyes told Emma exactly which choice she wanted her to make.

Wordlessly, Emma laced their fingers together, stared at their joined hands for a moment, and then tugged her forward. Regina followed willingly, heart swelling with the love she refused to let go. Emma was coming home. Though the mood felt lighter than the previous night when they reached the bed, the same intense emotions pulled through them. Emma resisted as she always had, but she dove in anyway. Regina was fearless and undoubting and so very trusting, and Emma toppled over the edge with her with the belief that she might actually be caught and not left to fall alone and broken. Regina accepted the rope without hesitation and tethered her shattered heart to her own.

By the time they returned to the kitchen sated and glowing and stealing bashful glances, Belle leaned on the frame of the outside door with a coffee cup and a knowing smirk. She looked much better than she had a few hours ago, her ire and fierceness returning. Emma froze, suddenly worried that she was about to be grilled by one of Regina's best friends. A dark eyebrow rose and stretched her scar in amusement.

"You pulled a me and Ruby. We're late. They've called twice." Belle said and pushed away from the door with her shoulder. The white turtleneck sweater covered all of the marks they'd seen earlier, but she was unable to hide the wince when her back threw a twinge into her muscles. What the hell had they done? Emma decided that she never wanted to know.

"Don't worry. I covered for you," she added at Emma's horrified face. "If anyone asks, Emma had to change a tire on her car. You know, unless you don't mind." Her smirk grew as she passed the two blushing women. Regina cleared her throat and followed.

"Shouldn't you be at the library?" Regina sniped and changed the subject at the same time. Belle's eyes narrowed mischievously.

"If anyone asks, the water pipes burst, and we need a week to clean up the mess," Belle said with a wink and an unapologetic tone as she slid into her coat. Her eyes glazed as something from the previous night flashed behind them. Rather than brush the thought away, she allowed her mind to sink into it and remained silent the entire trip to the diner.

Ruby glanced up and smiled brightly when they walked into the diner. Emma jerked with the realization that she'd only just met Regina in this very place a mere 48 hours ago. Regina soothed her with soft knuckles on the side of her thigh. God, how had this woman gotten inside her mind so quickly?

"Mama!" Alex yelled and sprinted from the back room and directly towards Belle. Ruby intervened at the last minute and scooped the girl in her arms. Belle kissed her face all over as Ruby blew raspberries on her belly.

"Hello Darling," Belle greeted her fiancée as she covered Alex's bright blue eyes with her hands. Ruby leaned over the child and shared a loving and lingering kiss with her partner.

"Are you guys kissing?" Alex asked around her mother's hand. Giggles erupted throughout the diner. Of course Belle and Ruby were kissing. When weren't they kissing?

"Hey Squirt!" Granny barked, and Alex furrowed beneath Ruby's red cape. Cape? Emma raised her eyebrows.

"Wolf! Wolf! Save me!" Alex pleaded, unfettered joy in her voice.

"What are you doing running off from an old woman like that? Huh?" Alex shrieked and giggled when Granny grabbed her sides and tickled her ruthlessly. The red fabric punched and twisted, trapping the girl further.

The moment was broken when someone called Ruby's name in sheer panic in the kitchen. The scent of burnt plastic filled the diner, and Ruby rolled her eyes, seemingly unconcerned. God she missed Granny in the kitchen full time. She handed her daughter to her grandmother and limped noticeably but quickly towards the kitchen. What the hell had she and Belle done to each other?

Granny finally noticed Emma and stared at her for a long moment. Her eyes flicked to their inconspicuously joined hands and then back to bashful faces. She wrangled her wiggling great granddaughter but her stern eyes remained fixed on Emma who squirmed and flushed under the scrutiny. Granny stepped forward into her personal space.

"You got the right idea towards her?" She asked in a deadly serious tone that made Emma's heart pound. This woman was not someone she wanted to cross. Regina squeezed her hand and rolled her eyes. Would Granny ever cut Emma some slack? Even when she'd had her memories, the elder Lucas constantly watched her like a hawk. Now the poor woman wasn't even able to remember why.

"Uhh, yes. Yes, Ma'am, I think I do," Emma stuttered. Granny harrumphed and stalked towards a table where a man and woman waited, satisfied for the moment.

They were introduced as David and Mary Margaret when Emma and Regina finally reached their destination. Alex nestled between Belle and Granny on one side of the booth. Emma snagged a chair for Regina as she wouldn't have comfortably fit with her belly and two other people and then resigned herself to squishing against a strange woman for the duration of the meal. She was pleasantly surprised when the same instant connection burned away the tension caused by the close quarters.

She felt immediately comfortable with Mary Margaret. Ruby appeared with an order pad and leaned her hip on the booth at Belle's shoulder. Emma smiled and watched the young lovers. Belle turned slightly and pressed her face into Ruby's waist and wrapped an innocent hand around her thigh near the knee. The blistering passion between them had dulled and left behind it the glowing embers of a true love. It was beautiful.

Emma smiled when Ruby leaned over and wrapped her arms around Belle's neck. Their cheeks pressed together as Ruby jotted awkwardly on her order pad in front of her lover's face. Belle leaned her head back on Ruby's arm and watched her lover's face with bright eyes and a wide smile. Alex scrambled into Belle's lap and tugged at Ruby's red streaks over her face. The scene gouged at Emma's heart, and she turned her gaze to Regina, not surprised to find those brown eyes already upon her face.

Regina smiled, rubbed her belly with one hand and rested the other on her thigh palm up. Emma accepted the invitation and slid her calluses over the much softer skin. Whatever developed between them, she knew she wanted to stick it out to the end, be it good or bad. She hadn't run, not yet. If Regina continued soothing all of her insecurities so easily, maybe not ever. Being with Regina felt a lot like coming home.


	9. Cat's out of the Bag

Enjoy, My Doves, and see you in a few days!

Songs: Red by Tyler Ward, Burn and You got it Bad by Usher

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><p>Emma closed her eyes against the cacophony of screaming children and murmuring adults. It'd been exactly one week since she'd departed Storybrooke, and the separation left her more irritable and longing than she cared to admit even to herself. No one outside of Storybrooke knew of their weekend of passion, and Emma found the difficulty of keeping her mouth shut growing each day. Regina made her feel giddy, and she wanted to shout it from the roof tops. Now, as she stood in the middle of the gymnasium at Henry's school waiting for him to compete at the science fair, she wished for a cloak of invisibility or teleportation abilities.<p>

"Hey Emma!" Felicia waved enthusiastically. Emily smiled in her shy, reserved way. Emma groaned inwardly.

"Hey, Nate and Caley doing their speech?" Emma asked, directing the conversation to a more comfortable vein. Neither of the women had been thrilled when Emma made the decision to stop taking the antidepressants two days after returning from her trip, and they watched her like a hawk. It was as irritating as it was sweet.

"Yeah, he and Henry practiced all week. Thanks for letting him come over every night. He's so shy and soft spoken. Poor boy got that from his father," Felicia babbled in her usual chipper voice. Emma gritted her teeth.

"Yes, he did," she conceded grouchily. Felicia and Emily both told her that her bitch had begun showing with their expressions, and her ears burned.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I'm having a weird day." Emma explained quickly, hoping it smoothed everything over. The shared glance between her friends told her that they read much further into her grumpiness. If only they knew why, they'd have her slapped back onto Jennifer's couch tomorrow morning. It was impossible to explain that she'd found her mystery woman.

"Are you certain everything's okay?" Emily asked kindly, not condescendingly. If she confided to anyone about Regina, it would have been her. Just not yet.

"Yeah, I'm good, guys. Really. This new case is kicking my ass. I shouldn't have taken so long off. I need to go back to Maine, but I don't foresee a good time." Emma lied through her teeth and prayed her friends took her words at face value. Emily spoke up.

"Caley and I are going to the winter festival in Boston on Saturday. I don't mind looking after Henry for the weekend." She offered kindly. Everyone loved her son. She probably could have bounced him around to a different house every weekend, and her neighbors would have been happy to have him.

"That's… yes, that'd be fantastic. I think this case is going to be another long one, so as much progress as I can make early on is better." Emma said. Her heart flipped with joy and giddiness, and the other women looked at her in confusion.

"Em, are you sure you're okay? Are you all wonky from the meds working out of your system?" Felicia asked, genuinely concerned.

The buzz of her phone saved her from answering the question. If she'd been unable to contain her excitement before, Regina's name on her screen ensured both women thought she'd gone completely insane.

"Uhhh. I have to take this," Emma stuttered and answered the phone as she turned and walked towards the hallway.

"Madame Mayor, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Emma's smitten voice slid into the phone, and Emily and Felicia shared another confused glance but were unable to hear anything else over the crowd and Emma's quick retreat.

"Hello Darling, I know we agreed that you'd call, but I've had a horrid day. I wanted to hear your voice." Regina's exhausted tone Emma that the stress of her day had in fact took a toll on the pregnant woman.

"Aww, I'm sorry. Townsfolk being ridiculous again?" Emma asked lightheartedly, trying to pull Regina from her funk. Those people were absolutely quaky.

"Yes," Regina whined around her tears. "I'm fairly certain I have a new orifice from the chewing I received in council today." Regina sniffled but offered nothing else.

She knew eventually that she'd be accused of casting this new curse, and Emma's appearance in Storybrooke had been the spark needed to ignite that flame. Thank the gods for Ruby and Belle. They allowed her to defend herself until she reminded the council that Emma was what she loved most and she hadn't been in The Enchanted Forest. The council's response was that she could have used the heart of her unborn child. Ruby flipped a table in her haste to get across the room to her when she burst into tears and then escorted Regina from the room when fireballs appeared in her hands.

Belle tore into the council on Regina's behalf and told them afterwards that Snow and David had even pleaded for everyone to calm the fuck down until they found out exactly what had happened. It wasn't exactly in her defense, but it wasn't an accusation. They remained levelheaded, as they should as leaders. Regina actually felt a tinge of pride swell for her step-daughter's development as a ruler under her hand during their brief stint in The Enchanted Forest. One day they were agreeing to co-govern the kingdom, and then the next day they were in Storybrooke and Regina was four months pregnant. It took two before Emma found them.

They were only scared, Regina recognized that, but it still hurt. A lot. More than it should have. What had she expected? Their fear kept them from seeing that discord and disunity were obviously something the new caster wanted, either that or they had no idea what they wanted and cast the curse without a clear image of how things should have been. Memory spells were tricky as everyone now saw with Emma. She remembered but she didn't.

Though, Emma also had a prophesy written about her. She was destined to damage herself over and over in search of the Lost Soul. Having a mental break down and almost losing Henry certainly qualified as that. She shouldn't have remembered anything, yet she had. Everyone outside of Storybrooke had obviously forgotten because when she destroyed the original curse, it was if Storybrooke or Regina Mills or Belle French never existed in this realm. She hadn't taken Emma's memories, the curse had, but she'd offered a modicum of peace to her son and soul mate with new memories. It seemed impossible, but somehow her letters still made it to Emma. Perhaps because she'd purchased all of the materials outside the barrier, but her name had obviously disappeared from the file completely. Otherwise, Emma would have known who she was the second Belle introduced them.

Even she struggled to understand the complexity of memory curses. How could she have expected a room of imbeciles to understand? This certainly fell far beyond what she was able to tell Emma, but she had called anyway.

"Let me ask you something," Emma said, proud that the hardened edge of anger remained out of her voice if not her mind. Dumb asses constantly harassed Regina. The mayor sniffed and sighed as her tears continued despite her best efforts to thwart them.

"Would it make you feel better if I told you that by noon on Friday, you will be in my arms?" There was silence and then more crying. Emma jerked at the reaction and opened and closed her mouth several times trying to figure out what to say.

"Emma," Regina's voice was tear-strained, but the joy shone through clearly. She'd switched from tears of anger and frustration and pain to tears of joy at the drop of a hat. Holy crap.

"I'm here, and soon I'll be there. Four more nights," Emma told her, already counting the seconds separating them.

"I can't wait, Darling," Regina said in a clearer voice. Good, she was calming. "How's Henry's science project fairing?" Regina always asked about Henry. If Emma wasn't falling before, that little fact pushed her over the brink, even if she refused to think about it.

"Still waiting. He's doing his speech thing now. He and Nate have been practicing all week. The wind tunnel I helped him build is pretty damn cool, if I do say so myself." Emma bragged proudly.

"That's fantastic. He's such a bright boy. I can't wait to meet him. Will he be joining you this weekend?" Regina asked as casually as possible. Their family was anxious to see their nephew, son, grandson and cousin again. Granny wrung her hands every time she asked about him. She, perhaps more than anyone, missed him as much as Regina and Belle. Whatever they had discussed during their 'hero time' had obviously left a deep impression on the woman's heart.

"Not this trip. I'm sorry. I'm just not ready for him to meet you yet," Emma explained, almost wishing that she was.

She'd just broken the kid's heart when she'd ended things with Jason, and she avoided doing that again at all costs. He'd liked having a man around, and now his mother dated a woman. Not to mention when Henry met Regina, it forced her to come clean about what she'd been doing rather than working her case. She wasn't ready for that yet, not until she was absolutely certain this thing with Regina was something worth pursuing further. In other words, Emma maintained a stronghold because she was too chicken shit to give into her feelings for the emotional mayor.

"That's alright, Emma. You're protecting him from attaching to something that may not last. It makes you a good mother and is something you should never apologize for." Regina clamped down on her disappointment and responded as she would have were she a brand new lover instead of one Emma simply failed to remember.

"Thank you, Regina," Emma breathed. Damn, she knew her so well. It unnerved her and thrilled her and terrified her and every single other emotion in between.

"Darling, I must go, the council is reconvening. May I call you later tonight?" She asked hesitantly. Regina's heart ached when Emma had told her that everyone thought she regressed in her mental and emotional recovery and quickly agreed to call only if absolutely necessary or after Henry went to bed at nine.

"You better. We're just getting to the good part. Emma's matchmaking is backfiring, and I need to get to the happy ending," Emma referred to their nightly ritual of reading to each other.

"I know that feeling well," Regina commented cryptically. Emma's brow furrowed. Regina cleared her throat. "I'll speak with you later. I miss you." Regina added cautiously. Emma flushed giddily and scratched the back of her neck.

"I miss you, too, Regina. Friday," she reminded the other woman.

"Friday," Regina repeated. The line went dead, and Emma pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it with a stupid, lovesick expression.

"So you found her then?" Emily asked from the door of the gym. Emma spun so fast she nearly lost her balance.

"Fuck," she grumbled. Well, shit just got complicated. She scrubbed a hand over her face, fighting tears of frustration.

"Emma," Emily glanced behind her and then shut the door, effectively shutting out the murmur of the crowd. How had she missed that?

"Hey, your secret is safe with me," Emily said with the hint of a smile.

"What?" Emma dropped her hand stared in utter shock. Surely, she hadn't heard correctly.

"Emma, you are the strongest person I know. Your childhood was one hell after another. You went from a homeless drug addict to a successful career in less than two years after getting out of prison. You worked two jobs, took care of an infant, went to school at night, and have been clean for 12 years. A person with that much resilience doesn't just crack for no reason. I don't claim to understand anything that is happening, but I don't think you're losing it. I think you're finding it." Emily explained. It was the most Emma had ever heard her speak in one breath.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Emma asked, searching for understanding of the quiet woman she'd come to respect and trust over the years.

"I suppose some of us don't know how to believe without tangible evidence. I wanted to after you'd been shot, but you were in the middle of withdrawal from the morphine. I was so shocked that only a few doses had such a powerful effect, but even then, you had this… look in your eyes. You really believed what you were saying." Emily finally opened up about her experience of Emma's near-death experience.

"Unfortunately, morphine and heroin are both derived from the poppy seed. Heroin turns into morphine when its processed enough. I guess that's what happens when you're put into a medically induced coma and not able to tell your surgeon that you're an addict." Emma huffed sadly.

She tried to give her chips back, but everyone at her program pretty much decided that she'd earned the right to keep them. The second she became lucid enough, she refused the morphine and asked the doctor to put her back into the coma in order to go through her withdrawal symptoms. It helped with the physical symptoms, but she still suffered through it mentally along with the physical pain of recovering from a gun shot wound that nearly took her life. It was a dark time to say the least. Emily, Felicia, Jane and Maura each took turns caring for Henry and sitting at her side, offering a hand to squeeze as she cried through the pain.

"Emma, it wasn't the drugs. She's real, isn't she?" Emily asked, still not quite believing. Her big hazel eyes searched hers, needing the confirmation that she hadn't been nuts herself for believing in Emma's outlandish claims. Emma nodded with a smile.

"Is she everything you'd hoped she'd be?" Emma smiled at the question. She had an ally, someone to confess her heart to outside of Storybrooke.

"She's more," she answered without thought or hesitation. Emily smiled. Emma Swan wasn't one to fall easily… or at all. If this woman enamored her so completely after two days together and a week of clandestine phone calls and hidden text messages, she obviously possessed something pretty damn special.

"Whenever you need me to watch Henry, week day or weekend, just give me a call. You deserve a little bit of loving, Emma Swan, and not just the sexual kind. What the hell were you doing with Jason Moretti?" Emily blurted, and Emma's jaw dropped open. The quiet woman saw far more than anyone gave her credit for because her quietness belied her quick wit and observant eyes. Emma like the woman more.

"Having a lot of hot and steamy rough sex?" Emma answered with a smirk. It had been really good sex.

"And with Regina?" She pushed. Emma dropped her gaze, neck and cheeks flushing instantly. She smiled shyly up at her friend and cleared her throat.

"How do you know I've had sex with her yet?" Emily laughed out loud at the ridiculous question.

"Honey, you almost combusted when I asked you the question. That's how I know. So? Sparks?" Emily pushed. Geesh, maybe she needed to get laid. What's wrong with her husband? Emma caved, too thrilled to be talking about Regina to one of her trusted friends to care about her embarrassment.

"Let me put it this way: she's six months pregnant, and Jason who?" Emma said with a giddy bark of laughter.

"She's pregnant?" Emma nodded. "And she's still better?" Emma nodded again, too flustered to speak. She cleared her throat.

"She has these two incredibly strange but sweet best friends who live with her with their daughter. Belle French actually exists, except she's a total badass librarian instead of being all timid. And I'm pretty sure Ruby thinks she's a child of the moon, but she seems sane enough." Emma laughed when Alex's tiny voice calling for her Wolf flashed into her mind.

"That sounds wonderful, Emma. I'm happy for you, truly, but you need to work on hiding it better if you don't want anyone else to know right now. You blush far too much to be talking to a contact. I realize it's mostly involuntary, but it's very noticeable." Emily warned and then threw her arms in the air.

As if by magic, a text message from Regina pinged to her phone. Emma grinned, tuning out the other woman almost completely.

_These fools make me yearn for a dictatorship. The stocks with their tongues ripped out is where they belong, the whole damn lot of them. _Regina really wasn't having any of the council's bullshit today. Emma chuckled, imagining her flying off the handle like she had at Stacy about the down trees. Regina Mills was not a lady to piss off if you wanted to keep your head.

_You could have Ruby pull the fire alarm. _Emma responded and then caught Emily's frustratingly amused gaze. She cleared her throat and put her phone in her pocket. Emily nodded.

"They should be announcing the winners soon," Emma changed the subject and bolted towards the noisy gym. Emily shook her head and followed.

They found Felicia easily, her bright red hair standing out. The administration expedited the process of ribbon distribution this year because parents complained about their child waiting so long only to leave in disappointment and empty-handed. Blah blah blah. Emma thought. Your kid should have done his or her own project, thought the proud mother of the blue ribbon winner in his category and grade level for the past two years. Emma Swan may have been a catastrophe waiting to happen, but she was a damn good mother.

"Hey Em," a trite, male rumble slid into her ear. She jerked around instinct dictating her defensive stance. Some of the other parents from her street tensed and pressed away from the bounty hunter. The last time a man snuck up on Emma and whispered into her ear, he had ended up in his own pool with a split lip.

"What the actual fuck?" Emma deadpanned, mouth dropping open. Jason smiled sheepishly and held out a bundle of flowers.

"Thought I'd drop in and watch them hand out the awards. My niece is in Henry's grade, so… that's how I know," he stuttered, clearly flustered and nervous. It was adorable. Emma was annoyed.

She scrubbed her hands over her face and muffled low scream of frustration. It was not the reaction everyone expected, except maybe Emily.

"You can't be here, Jason. Henry cannot see you with me here. So go find your niece and give her those flowers. It confuses him when you do shit like this. It's not fair to him, and I will seriously hurt you if you hurt my son needlessly. There's nothing here," Emma spelled it out for him and waved a hand between the two of them.

"Look, Swan, you're ten kinds of messed up. You're scared. I get it." He smiled boyishly. "Maybe I like mess. Give me a chance, Emma." It was sincere and trite and everything she might have actually fallen for before she'd met Regina. Now, it meant next to nothing. Crap on burnt toast. He'd actually fucking fallen for her.

"Jason please," Emma begged quietly. "This is not some sort of lingering abandonment issue or whatever in the hell your definition of 'ten kinds of messed up' is. There is nothing _here,_" Emma repeated and splayed her hand over her chest. He smiled and extended the flowers again.

"Not yet. I'm a patient guy," he said. Every single woman around them melted at his tender, loving confession, and Emma felt like an ass. Had he done this shit in public to avoid violence?

"Jason, listen carefully, please because I will only say this once. I'm seeing someone else, okay. Please just back off," Emma pleaded, very aware of the growing number of eyes observing the altercation. Jason jerked back, clearly hurt.

"What's he got that I don't, Emma?" He asked dejectedly. He had to ask. Motherfucking bitch balls. Emma licked her lips and resigned herself to the admission.

"Tits," she deadpanned and crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously.

His mouth dropped open. A general utterance erupted in the crowd around her. Not that anyone was particularly bigoted, but Emma was known to go through men like wash cloths. Felicia loosed a short bark of laughter and then slapped a hand over her mouth. Emma rolled her eyes, turned on her heel and blew through the parted crowd in search of her son. She found him near the door with Jane and Maura.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" She said in happy surprise and clapped her hands on Henry's shoulders.

"I helped Henry design his experiment. It's going to win," Maura informed them proudly. Of course she had. She pulled Henry into her side, and they moved to the front of the crowd where the school administrators were tallying the results.

"Swan, what did you do to Moretti?" Jane asked, not really interested in the science talk. Her gaze focused on the crowd.

"Told him I was dating a woman," Emma said neutrally. The cat was out of the bag. Jane smirked devilishly.

"Your extra snow day?" She jabbed suggestively at Emma who rolled her eyes.

"That really was the weather, but we made use of the time," Emma defended.

"Why tell us that you were on a case?" Jane sounded hurt by the perceived lie.

"Jane, I didn't lie to you. I was gathering information, just not for the type of case everyone thought. I went to the law office that's been sending me those poems. I found her," Emma said in hushed excitement. Jane scratched her forehead and sighed deeply.

"Emma, I love you, but this has got to stop. You disappear, no one knows where you are except up north and snowed in. You come back, go off your meds, and then suddenly you're claiming that this woman you've never met is the one you've been dreaming about since being shot. I mean this as friend, you know that, but do you actually hear yourself?" Jane said as supportively as possible. She'd been there. She'd experienced broken, half-crazed Emma. Her obsession took over, and nothing else mattered.

"No, look, here," Emma brushed away her concerns and pulled up the picture on her phone that she'd snapped of Regina smiling at something Granny said during their lunch at the diner.

"Her name is Regina. She lives in Maine." Emma handed the phone over to her friend and studied her face as she looked at the picture.

"She's pregnant," Jane commented in slight shock.

"Six months. With a little girl named Annabel," Emma elaborated. "I'm not making this shit up or running away to spend the weekend in a hotel alone to pretend that she's real. This is who I found. It's where the trail led me. Now will you please help me get everyone off this med shit? I'm not nuts, nor am I losing it. I simply believed in something fantastical that turned out to be true." Emma pleaded with her friend. Jane was levelheaded and experienced with Emma's particular type of post-traumatic stress, so the rest of the group followed her lead.

"Damn, Swan," she said and handed the phone back. She laughed nervously and scratched her forehead again.

"Okay, you win. She's real. What now?" Jane conceded.

"Now, I see where it goes, and try not to shit myself in terror during the process." Jane smiled at the admission but held comment when Henry's name was called.

They immediately turned their attention to the stage where Henry accepted his blue ribbon. They clapped and cheered while Maura jumped up and down and pumped both fists in the air. Henry smiled toothily at his own personal cheering section and joined the other two ribbon-holders for a photo.

Emma snapped one of her own with her phone and sent it to Regina. It felt wrong to experience this moment without her. She replied with several exclamation points, and Emma smiled. Her council meeting just became ten times more tolerable.


	10. Ghosts

So, I'm bummed all around. My trip ended with me in the hospital Saturday night. Turns outs, I have what's called Intestinal Malrotation, which means my intestines are on two separate sides instead of the big one wrapping the little one. My appendix is in the left upper quadrant of my stomach. It's all very strange. Apparently, it's generally fixed before an infant turns 1, and only about 25% of people make it to adulthood if the condition goes unchecked. So, I officially feel like a badass. Anyway, so I'm here in the hospital with an infection of the small intestine. So whoo for my bleeding camping trip. *bitters*

However, in my drug-induced state of artificial bliss, my overwhelmed introverted brain ran away and hid in my headphones from the stimulation of the hospital, and I have concocted this for you out of my wonderful feels coming from my doting and flustered partner fussing at the nurses and doctors and constantly fluffing my pillow and trying to feed me ice chips and tucking my blanket tighter when I shiver in fever. It's all very adorable despite the situation. My Mama even went home without a fight, which is a big deal because we have a huge country family who camps out on the floor when one of us is in the hospital. Guess she approves of the partner 100%. She's the first significant other of either me or my brother whose been left completely alone when either of us were injured or sick. So, I guess I should marry the girl so she'll stop begging me to. Apparently, my tortured, broody, romantic cowboy heart is something she still wants to spend the rest of her life chasing. And she just officially got Mama's stamp of approval, something my brother's wife and mother of his child still hasn't received.

Anyway, I seem to be babbly today. Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Wagon Wheel by Darius Rucker, The One by Terri Clark, Your Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

* * *

><p>12:01. Regina sighed and leaned back in her plushy office chair. The black leather puff offered the perfect amount of lower lumbar support, becoming the only place she sat comfortably anymore and completely pain free as long as she leaned back. Annabel shifted, and she smiled in spite of the anxiety and anticipation in her chest of Emma's pending arrival. She was late.<p>

"Typical, Miss Swan," she muttered with a smile.

Love swelled where irritation once resided at Emma's flakiness. Never again. Though she had begun to fully appreciate her lover's free spirit before their latest trial, she felt the twinge of guilt at the slightest hint of aggravation at the beautiful blonde who danced to the beat of her own drum. She had no place for such useless emotions, not when Emma may be ripped away from her at any moment. They'd found each other again. The prophesy reset, which meant their time together already had an hour glass tipped against them. Drop by drop, the gentle rain of fate extinguished each moment of their burning love. Her last stronghold of hope flew towards Emma's memories. Just one day, she pleaded silently and soothed her rowdy daughter in her belly. Give her one day to remember her daughter, their love, everything they endured in order to reach this place.

Annabel twitched again, and Regina grinned down at the hand or foot moving the loose shirt against her belly. How had she ever been irritated at Emma? She'd given her not only a child but the beautiful blessing of carrying her. Her womb designed itself as a hostile environment, destroying the possibility of ever feeling life move within her. It was impossible, but Emma wished it into reality as though she merely conjured a fireball. If she ever figured out how to harness her power upon command, the force at her fingertips would go uncontested. No one was that stupid, suicidal perhaps.

"Is she moving around?" Stacy asked, breaking loose her circular thoughts. The woman hid halfway out the door, ready to bolt at the first sign of hostility. Poor Stacy. Regina had apologized a millions times in the past two months since deciding to co-mayor with her former servant.

"She's been quite lively as of late," Regina said in a girlish voice. Stacy puffed a sigh and crossed to the big desk. They'd shared the giant office for all of a week before Stacy retreated from Regina's pregnancy hormones and grief. Now that Emma had returned, the fussy mayor behaved much more like the quiet woman she respected and adored.

"Because of Emma?" Stacy continued, carefully maintaining a calm tone. Her tongue was easily excitable, and it drove the former queen up the wall with anger.

"I think perhaps she senses Emma's magic," Regina confided and rubbed her belly. Stacy smile shyly.

"Archie has been talking about children a lot since Belle and Ruby adopted Alex. Wasn't that just the sweetest thing?" Stacy babbled and then bit her tongue when her usual excitement bubbled in her chest.

"Yes, it was, and Ruby was correct. There's never a right time. Life is always complicated, and you will never feel ready." She passed her knowledge on to the woman who had been faithfully at her side for over half of her life.

"Any word on when they will marry?" Stacy fell into the safe vein of conversation. She may have been loyal to Regina longer, but the depth of Belle and Ruby's fealty and sacrifice far surpassed hers. Regina loved talking about her friends.

"Not as yet, Miss Cochran. Belle refuses to set a date until Emma recovers her memories. Before that, I assume they postponed in The Enchanted Forest, though no one knows absolutely until this curse is broken." Regina explained with a small grin at the couple's devotion to her and Emma as much as each other.

The conversation stilled with fumbling feet and a clattering entrance of a mildly tardy and flustered Emma Swan. Regina's smile grew at the hushed curse outside her office door and stood when Emma's voice proceeded her.

"I'm late! I'm sorry. There was an accident of the interstate. Oh crap, did I just barge into a meeting?" Emma asked with comically wide eyes.

"No Darling," Regina soothed her before she hyperventilated. "This is Stacy Cochran, co-mayor of Storybrooke and my successor," she introduced proudly.

Stacy's face brightened at her words and tone as she extended her hand as though they'd never met before that moment. "Hello, Emma. It nice to finally meet the woman who made Regina's lovely smile return."

The introduction may have been faked, but the words were sincere. Her own life had become exponentially easier without Regina terrorized Town Hall at every teeny tiny stressor. Emma grasped the proffered hand, not quite sure how to respond to the sentiment. She ran from it.

"It's nice to meet you, Stacy. Emma Swan," she greet cordially and then slipped her thumbs into the back pockets of her jeans nervously. Regina intervened, sensing her lover's unease at Stacy's gushing.

"I was just briefing Miss Cochran on our scheduled meetings this afternoon as I will be absent," Regina explained matter-of-factly. Stacy already knew of her intentions to spend every possible second with Emma, and she'd schedule half of the meetings anyway.

"I'll see you Monday, Madame Mayor." Stacy dismissed herself with a smile and nod.

The other two women watched her departure, anticipation building in their fingertips. Their eyes met for a long moment when the door clicked shut, and then two bodies rushed forward. Regina grabbed both sides of Emma's unzipped coat in clawed fingers and pulled her forward. Emma barely controlled her momentum enough to turn sideways rather than smack bodily into the baby bump between them. Teeth clanked painfully when lips met in frantic motion. Throaty sighs harmonized as the kiss soothed the dull ache in their bodies since they'd parted nearly two weeks ago.

"Emma," Regina breathed but lost her words when wet, demanding lips pressed against her throat. A sharp gasp replaced her thoughts, and fingers buried in yellow hair. She tugged against the strands roughly when Emma's hands slipped up the front and back of the thigh within her reach, lifting the grey fabric of her skirt easily.

"Emma," she chided the impassioned woman with her tone and tugged again when the first attempt yielded no result.

"Yeah?" Came the pre-coital gruff of Emma Swan's deep voice of arousal. The gentle nips and licks returned to her neck, and she gave in to her own passion. The second trimester without Emma had been excruciating. Apparently, it made you want to do nothing but have sex constantly. It essentially made every woman into Belle and Ruby.

"Take me home," Regina demanded. Her tone told Emma that her body surged with the same desire that had built during the five and a half hour drive that lasted at least an hour longer than it should have.

"Yeah," Emma agreed, and her hands and lips disappeared.

Regina reeled from the abrupt departure and found her bearings in time to accept the coat Emma slid up her arms. She held her scarf and hat and allowed Emma to pull her to the exit. They'd reached the car before she realized Emma carried her purse. Emma held the door open for her and guided her into the passenger seat before rounding her Camry. Regina took her hand the minute the shifter found drive. Words were unnecessary.

Emma offered her lover an arm and escorted her up the long walk to the mansion. Two smiles proceeded them into the foyer as they walked into a surreal scene. Ruby sat on the grand staircase in loose-fitting bluish-black jeans, boots, and a dark blue-green tank top. A guitar strap held the instrument in place as she strummed it with quick and graceful fingers in a Ruby Lucas acoustic rendition of "Wagon Wheel." Belle sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her. Alex snuggled into Belle's lap and watched her Wolf intently.

Regina studied her best friend. She'd changed so much, grown up in such a short amount of time. From that immature waitress in outfits more suited to porn costumes than diner work emerged this strong, proud, focused, grounded woman. She'd played a part in that when Ruby became her pillar of strength and support when Emma had been shot, but Belle influenced it more deeply, anchored it in their relationship. Between their awkward sexualities and clumsy, fumbling acts of love and chivalry, they finally found themselves as much as they found each other. Belle was good for Ruby, gave her a clear goal in life, and Alex only added to that. It was beautiful, and Regina loved the librarian all the more for it.

She'd continued seeing Archie when they returned from The Enchanted Forest, and he had encouraged her to explore her artistic side, and the young wolf immediately took to it with fervor. It encompassed everything from painting to singing and learning to play the guitar to creating new menu items at the diner. It fit her as perfectly as her red cape and came as naturally as her wolf's heightened senses. Regina suspected her wolf played a part in the natural ability to learn new songs perfectly within a few hours of attempting them and creating dishes that at first glance seemed hopeless but left her moaning for more.

Regina paused in the foyer and listened to the young woman serenade her family. The sight of Ruby singing to Belle and Alex with her guitar occurred at least once a week, so the event itself wasn't particularly significant or surprising. Something in Ruby's soulful expressions and body language, however, made both her and Emma watch in curious appreciation.

Her eyes were closed and her face scrunched or relaxed with each line as if she felt them in her soul, not just sang them. Her boot tapped on the step, adding a small bit of percussion. Her shoulders moved and dipped in that delicious way guitarist's often did when they felt the song in their heart and expressed it with their body. It was an addicting sight. Belle and Alex apparently agreed because both sets of blue eyes were reverently glued to their whole world

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina and held either side of her belly. She leaned into her and was pleasantly surprised when Emma hooked her chin over her shoulder. A finger on either side of her stomach tapped gently in time with Ruby's foot. Regina covered her hands, fingers sliding easily between Emma's longer ones. If Ruby felt a snippet for Belle of what she felt for Emma, she wasn't surprised that their relationship focused her energy into something positive instead of the destructive chaos her wolf used to leave in her wake. The song ended, and Ruby opened her eyes, seeing only Belle and Alex.

"Do you have time for one more or do you need to get back to the library?" She asked, her desire to continue obvious. Belle glanced at her watch. She was due to return at 12:30, which was five minutes ago. Ruby worked the later shifts on Friday and Saturday in order to do inventory, next's weeks food order and the financial books, which meant she'd not be home until 10 or 11 tonight.

"I have time," she answered and squeezed Alex tightly. Regina smiled. Emma may not have known the significance of her statement, but she had.

"Emma," she whispered when another moderately paced song came from Ruby's fingertips. Emma hummed in her ear as a response.

"Rock me," Regina commanded quietly and squeezed her hands tighter. Wordlessly, they moved towards the stairs to the left side of the foyer and left the family alone at the grand staircase.

The explosion of desire that controlled them at Town Hall smoldered into something slow-burning, a desire for intimacy but not necessarily sex. Once the door closed behind them, Regina pressed her forehead to Emma's and touched her mouth with three trembling fingertips. This form of intimacy had always terrified her the most. In the throes of passion or extreme grief, reactions and emotions always came with a safety net. Things may be blamed on the heightened emotions, but these moments only presented raw vulnerability that left her open to judgment and rejection.

Emma sensed the change and cupped her face in both hands. Thumbs brushed along wet cheekbones as Emma leaned back enough to meet her gaze. Regina offered a coy smile and dropped her gaze. A wide smile of her own pulled at Emma's lips. Regina was so sensitive. It was adorable and terrifying.

"Hey," Emma caught her attention and wiped her tears again. "What do you want?" Her pounded furiously at the simple question. Emma Swan worried very little about what her lovers actually wanted. They came together for one purpose. Not Regina. She wasn't that person with Regina.

"I want to be close to you," Regina breathed around her tears. Emma floundered. What exactly had that meant? Regina caught her.

"Will you read to me, Emma?" She asked insecurely, and Emma knew they danced on a precipice. Any perceived rejection would have destroyed the moment and sent Regina running for her ivory tower.

"Sure," Emma said and pulled her towards the bed. Regina resisted.

"Not there." Emma nodded, grabbed the book off the nightstand, studied her in confusion. Regina wordlessly tugged her hand and led them into the bathroom.

Emma's huge heart pounded harder when she realized what Regina wanted. It was incredibly familiar and reminded her of the many haunting whispers she'd experienced in her own bathroom in a house Regina had never even seen. Wide eyes watched the water adjusted and then met Regina's insecure gaze. She knew what she asked of her lover, and Emma realized it in that moment. The mayor waited for her decision patiently rather than assuming she'd already agreed. How the hell had Regina gotten into her head so quickly?

"I'm sorry, Regina. I suck at intimacy," Emma blurted. Regina's face fell, followed by her eyes. Emma moved forward and brought them both back to hers with a hand under her chin.

"Hey, I said I suck at it. I never said I didn't want to try," Emma assured her and was rewarded with the glorious lights of heaven when Regina's face split into a smile that would have made Helen of Troy jealous.

"Then allow me to apologize that I haven't been able to reach my legs to shave them in a week," Regina said in such a serious tone that it could have been nothing but a joke. Emma responded to levity in these situations. It soothed her, broke the tension, at least it always had before. Regina nearly cried again in relief when Emma snorted and nodded her head as she dropped her gaze to the aforementioned body part.

"If you ask me nicely, maybe I'll help you out with that," Emma said lightheartedly, but they both knew the offer was genuine. Regina had grown quite a bit since she'd last seen her. She appeared to be on the cusp between the second and third trimester by now.

"Will you be my White Knight, Emma Swan, and remove the prickly growth from my lower limbs?" Regina asked in a swooning, damsel in distress tone. She even offered a small swoon with the back of her hand on her forehead. Emma laughed outright and pressed a kiss to the newly exposed throat.

"Here," Emma said, snapped the toilet lid down, and ran water into the sink while the tub filled.

The warm water in the huge luxuriously bathtub was for soaking, not soiling, and Regina's exhausted body probably yearned for a good, muscle-relaxing soak. If she feared falling on dry sidewalks, the paranoid woman probably hadn't taken a bath in a very long time and simply used the smaller walk-in shower with two slip resistant mats in front of it. The protective overkill made Emma smile.

She turned from the sink and found Regina struggling with her black tights. Ruby or Belle must have helped her get them on this morning because there was no way in hell she managed that by herself. Had Regina dressed up for her arrival? Her cheeks burned with the thought. It wasn't necessary because Regina was beautiful all on her own. The lines on her face gave her sophistication and grace. Her body had obviously been cared for impeccably because it hadn't gained a lot of excess fat during the pregnancy, which meant she ate and exercised properly.

The baby bump, though cumbersome during sex, added to the unexplainable attraction of one Regina Mills. Though she'd never really been sexually attracted to a female before, Emma's body definitely tingled in all of the right places for this particular woman. It meant something. She simply hadn't found the right questions to asked in order to determine the answers that Regina appeared to have already found.

"Emma, I may need help," Regina huffed in frustration and dropped her hands to her sides.

Emma chuckled and dropped to her knees. Regina gasped lightly when cool hands slid up her thighs. Emma grinned wickedly at her around Annabel's watery home, and Regina clicked her tongue in mock frustration. Emma refocused on her task with a grin, finding what made the task impossible for the woman wearing them was the fact that panty hose were in fact two individual pieces. Emma rolled one and then used her palms to slowly reveal the skin she couldn't yet see.

Regina shivered beneath the fingertips slowly trailing down the sensitive flesh on the inside of her thigh. Emma had managed to make something as pitiful as her inability to unclothe herself sexy. It made her feel beautiful and attractive, even as bloated and helpless as she was. Emma always inspired that feeling with her thoughtfulness and playful approach to simple tasks, such as removing tights that had been cutting into her legs all day. She was still Emma.

"You dressed up for me today, didn't you?" Emma asked with a smirk when Regina took her shoulders in a death grip and lifted her foot. Regina cleared her throat and dropped her gaze to the green eyes twinkling up at her.

"Perhaps," Regina answered with a sniff.

Emma only grinned. She raised to her full height on her knees and pressed her lips to the swollen belly in front of her. Soulful green eyes held her gaze as she repeated the sensual process with the second leg. Regina blinked rapidly, chest heaving at the thick and heady tension of the moment. Emma's fear had dissipated, leaving behind an intense desire to make her feel as wonderful as possible for as long as possible. Tears blurred her vision and dripped onto her cheeks when she realized Emma's intentions.

"Regina?" Emma asked softly, concerned that she'd crossed a line, made the sensitive mayor uncomfortable in some way. Regina waved a hand at her wet face and then returned it to her strong shoulder.

"You make me feel beautiful, Emma," she explained a moment before more tears spilled out. Emma pressed her lips into Annabel a few more times as she studied Regina's happily crying eyes.

"You are beautiful, Regina," she confirmed and kissed her belly. Annabel squirmed towards her mother's touch, and they both smiled, having felt the motion inside and out.

"She likes you," Regina said and wiped her tears.

"And what about her mommy? Does Mommy like me, Annabel?" Emma teased, trying to pull the levity back into their emotional detour. Regina ran her fingers into yellow hair.

"Emma Swan, if you make her jump upon my bladder again, I will make you sleep on the floor." Emma pulled back from the belly and smiled prettily up at Regina. Regina's lips tugged upward, destroying her stern expression, when Emma batted her eyes, accentuating the innocent smile.

Regina swatted her shoulder and lowered herself onto the toilet. Emma shut off the tub water and quickly set to work before it cooled. Her arms just reached the sink from her position on the floor. Regina squirmed under the attention. Not that she'd never been bathed and plucked and pampered by others when she'd been queen, but this was different. This was Emma. This was the woman she'd given her heart and soul and who currently remembered none of that, none of them.

"So, how many weeks are you now? About 27 or 28 right?" Emma asked when she sensed Regina's anxiety, thought she assumed it to be for all the wrong reasons.

"Monday starts 28," Regina answered in a rasping voice and cleared her throat.

"Yeah, I remember this part well," She said with a laugh. "Try finding a comfortable spot on a prison cot. I made friends real fast with the nurse in the infirmary. The guards took pity and let me sleep down there sometimes. It was a total breech in protocol because I was unattended with just the night nurse, but I guess they figured since I was in for a non-violent crime and as big as a barrel of beer that I was safe enough to leave there."

"You gave birth in prison?" Regina asked, hoping her tone sounded surprised. She knew this already, but Emma just confided something personal and painful.

"That's right, Madame Mayor, you're cavorting with a criminal," Emma jabbed playfully, covering her own anxiety at sharing the information.

"What did you do?" Regina asked curiously. Emma hadn't actually ever told her this story, so in a way, it was a new experience. She discovered Emma's grey past through a background check when she'd first come to Storybrooke.

"Got caught helping my boyfriend fence some stolen watches. I didn't steal them. All I did was get them out of a storage locker. Got 11 months. I almost gave Henry up for adoption. I was 18, broke, in prison. No job. I grew up in the foster system, so I had no family. The nurse was already out the door, and I heard him cry. I'd never screamed for someone to stop so loud in my life. I couldn't risk him having the childhood that I did, and I'm thankful everyday that I made that decision. He's my whole world," Emma said with a content smile and eyes hazy with memories.

"That's an incredibly story, Emma. He became your beacon of hope in a dark time," Regina summarized the entire situation in one sentence. Emma nodded and wiped down her cleanly shaven and sticky leg.

"I can't wait to meet him," Regina nudged her again subtly. She desperately wanted to see her son again, even if he wasn't able to remember her.

"Soon, if things keep going as well as they have been. I was sort of dating someone unofficially for a few months before I met you. I made the mistake of allowing Henry to get attached to him. I can't do that to him again if this doesn't work out. I'm sorry, and I hope you understand." Emma paused and studied Regina's face.

The poor woman looked like she'd been kicked in the chest. Regina covered her chest with a shaking hand, reminding it to breath again, and bit down on the tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks. Her reaction was insane from Emma's perspective. Of course someone as attractive as Emma beat people away with sticks. Her memories had been stolen by the previous curse, and she had physical and emotional needs. She was still Emma, though. Her previous lover had not been allowed to spend the night if Emma's panicked reaction to the suggestion during her last visit indicated anything. That offered a modicum of comfort.

"I understand, Emma," Regina croaked and shook her head. Somehow she pulled herself back from the precipice Emma's confession pushed her towards. This was temporary, she reminded herself.

"I'll content myself with stories and pictures of blue ribbon moments until you deem our relationship stable enough for a visit," she continued once she'd regained her confidence and collected her scattered emotions.

"Thank you, Regina." Emma smiled up at her and then wiped her other leg.

"There you go. Silky smooth," she informed her triumphantly and patted the sticky calf.

"Thank you. I had wondered if poor Ruby would be forced into this when my tolerance for the itchiness reached its limits." Regina chuckled and allowed Emma to pull her to her feet.

"I'm happy to do it when I'm here," Emma said sincerely.

Regina's forehead throbbed with emotion, but she withheld comment as Emma undressed her and helped her into the tub. She probably could have done this without any help or relied on Ruby's wolf strength for support, but Regina's paranoia kept her from attempting anything of the sort. Emma made her feel safe, though, as she always had. They should have taken baths and read to Annabel, and Emma should have attended the first appointment when she'd heard Annabel's heartbeat. They were robbed of that. Ruby and Belle made wonderful substitutes, and their unwavering devotion and love and support held her together as she worked through the anger of Emma's absence. But they were just that, substitutes.

Emma undressed, snagged the book and settled behind Regina. It felt good and natural to have Regina's weight pressed against her without anything but water molecules separating them. The last of her fear slipped away when Regina cupped water and spread it over her swollen breasts and belly as one might a beached dolphin. Emma's chest vibrated with silent laughter, and Regina swatted the bent knee at her hip and readjusted her head against Emma's shoulder.

"_Regina." _

_"I feel it." _

"_It feels like…" _

"_Like you're still carrying my heart." _

Emma jerked as the voices filled her mind in a cacophony of hushed and jumbled whispers that sounded far loud than they should have. She grabbed her head at the sudden pain, nearly dropping Jane Austen in the water. Green eyes slammed shut as she breathed through the sharp stabs of agony. Regina jerked up and knelt awkwardly between Emma's knees.

"Emma!" Quaking hands took the book, dropped it to the floor, and covered Emma's hands over her temples. Emma breathed deeply as the flashes ebbed and her vision returned to normal.

"Emma?" Regina tried again. What the hell just happened?

"I'm okay. I've been getting these flashes, like I'm trying to remember something that I'd forgotten. I'm either going insane or I need to get a brain scan. Maybe both." Emma explained in a gruff voice and rubbed her temples with the heels of her hands.

"What sort of flashes?" Regina asked, excitement in her voice. Emma glared up at her. Regina was the oddest woman she'd ever met.

"Regina," she said in a tone that made Regina instantly sober. What had Emma remembered?

"Who the hell is Cora and why do I remember you standing over her bloody body?"


	11. Shattered

Haha, Yes My Doves, I updated from the hospital. The second I found out they were keeping me, I begged for my laptop and headphones. There is a reason I enjoy working at night so much. Not a lot of people to deal with. I'm feeling much better, but I'm mostly just relieved to know what's been wrong for the past few months as I've been under the weather a while now. As I've heard a hundred times in the past 72 hours from my partner and my best friend who was awesome and had an X-files marathon with me on my sickbed yesterday, if I weren't such a stubborn ass and went when I first felt sick, I'd have known already.

Anyway, I gave the last chapter another quick edit sans woozy medication for those who would like to read it relatively free of grammar mistakes.

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Shatter Me by Lindsey Stirling and Lzzy Hale

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><p>"Emma, please stop! Wait! Stop!" Regina screamed when Emma jerked open the bedroom door. Something in the broken, hollow wail halted her movements. It was the same voice she'd used when she had nearly given up Henry.<p>

"Are you ready to tell me the truth?" She bit and turned around. Anger flared in her chest. She felt violated on so many levels. Regina clearly knew her and took advantage of her amnesia, and not even the sight of her sobbing and holding a towel in front of her nude body dampened that. Unable to dress as quickly as Emma, she ignored her nudity for the most part and barely made it out of the tub before Emma bolted from the room.

"I have, Emma. Cora was my mother. She killed herself. I can't really explain how you could possibly have seen that. It was nearly two years ago. Please Emma. Your memory flashes are as bizarre to me as they are to you." Regina explained as succinctly as possible. It wasn't exactly a lie. There was no possible explanation of the truth that Regina wished to divulge, and she'd believe wholeheartedly that Emma's memories linked to true love's kiss. Perhaps Emma actually had to love her, and she hadn't reached that point yet.

"See, and I believe you about everything except the part where you imply that I wasn't there. I smelled the blood, Regina!" Emma yelled at her, hands waving frantically before clenching them into fists at shoulder height.

"Emma please," she begged in an airy voice. "Please don't leave me."

"_I can't change who you are, who you were born to be. I've never given myself to someone I love before, and I want to knowing in my heart exactly who she is."_

"Stop!" Emma screamed and grabbed her head again. The pain brought her to one knee. Regina dropped the towel and covered her hands. Emma jerked back when another flash exploded behind her eyes at the contact. Her shoulder slammed into the door frame painfully, and she fell onto the balcony in motion, crawling until her back hit the railing.

_"Before the king rode into battle, his sorcerers tore out his heart and placed it inside the chest of his queen. Will you carry my heart, Emma Swan?"_

She grabbed her head again. Regina moved forward, uncaring of her nudity. Emma remembered more every time she touched her. Ruby was in the house somewhere anyway, but if Emma ran, she needed restrained without magic until they calmed her. Emma stared up at her, chest heaving, sweat beading at her hairline. She scrambled away before Regina touched her and stumbled to her feet at the top of the stairs.

"Who the hell are you?" Her voice rose hysterically, cracking under the strain of her pumping adrenaline. "You ripped out your heart!" Emma pointed a shaking finger at her chest. No, that was impossible, insane.

"That's insane," she repeated her inner dialogue and buried her hands in her hair. Searching green eyes stared at the floor as she reconciled reality with her perceived memories.

"I'm insane," she said seriously. It was the only explanation that offered even a smidgen of sense. Regina's heart shattered. She was going to bolt. Where the hell was Ruby?

"This." She pointed her finger straight down in between them. "This is insane. I barely know you, and I sleep with you after one night and turn my entire world upside down because I thought you were some woman sending me creepy woman messages through poems?" Emma laughed. It was hollow and self-deprecating. Emma truly believed she was losing her mind.

"Emma, you're not insane. I sent them to you because I wanted you to come home. I had no other way of contacting you. I wasn't even sure you'd received them until you showed up two weeks ago. Please calm down," Regina begged and stepped closer. Her heart shattered with every passing second. She was losing her. She was so close to bringing her home. A simple kiss might have returned all of her memories.

"No, don't you fucking touch me!" Emma stepped down two stairs. Regina eyed them warily. If she chased her, one of them probably ended this conversation with a tumble down the stairs.

"Ruby!" Regina yelled in a panic. Emma was fast and strong, but Ruby's wolf was faster and stronger.

"I'm not going to hurt you. You don't have to call for Ruby. I'm just trying to fucking understand!" Emma slapped her chest. "Why won't you tell me the truth?" They stared each other down, both in fear.

"Emma," Regina started, swiped a hand over her sweaty face and huffed a resigned sigh. Emma waited, sensing Regina's readiness to divulge more information.

"You and I… we… you're my true love, Emma. You lost your memories, but your heart, it remembers, Emma. You're starting to remember, too. Just give it some more time. I know you're terrified and you don't understand what's happening. I need you to trust me, please. Ask me anything. I know everything about you, Emma." Regina pleaded, but she knew that look in Emma's eyes. She'd lost her. She pushed forward.

"Please, Emma… I know that you are addicted to chocolate chip cookies. Your favorite coffee is a French vanilla latte with an extra shot of vanilla and a shot of espresso. You don't know if Henry's father is Neal or the man who raped you. The only foster mother who ever really cared about you was killed by her abusive husband in front of you. She was teaching you how to cook, which is why you've never learned more than what was necessary to survive. You won't stay the night or allow your lovers because you're afraid of waking up alone." Regina choked on her words and took a deep breath. The rage in Emma's eyes flickered and smoked. She'd gotten through for now at least until Emma remembered using magic.

"How could you possibly know those things? I've never told anyone about Candace or being raped. If you'd seen my records, then you could have known about Candace, but I've never told anyone that she was teaching me how to cook or that I was raped. How could you possibly know those things?" Emma babbled more to herself than to Regina. It was low and unbelieving, which meant Emma's anger dissipated and left only confusion and pain. God, she was still Emma, and Regina's fingers ached to hold her, comfort her.

"Emma, please. Come back to the room. You may ask me anything. I won't touch you if you prefer," Regina reassured the shocked woman. Perhaps she'd gone about this all wrong.

Emma was more freaked out by not understanding the small flashes of recovered memories. She assumed that everything returned in one huge explosion, making explanation a useless waste of time. Memory spells were far more complex than most casters understood. Emma wasn't only breaking a memory curse, she was literally pulling memories out of the air from nothing. It was virtually impossible, but Emma's heart contained the most powerful magic ever known. That made the entire situation unpredictable.

She and Belle spent hours pouring over magic books from her own library and Rumpelstiltskin's since the man hadn't yet made an appearance in this Storybrooke. Once the original caster destroyed The Dark Curse, all memories of that particular curse became lost, impossible to recover, yet Emma remembered bits and pieces. Even before returning to Storybrooke, she heard the whispers of the energy they created in their house in Salem. Regina suspected the recovered memories related more to Emma's emotions than to breaking the curse.

Her heart only wanted love, to love and be loved in return without fear of abandonment. If Regina guessed, she wagered that Emma's heart yearned in those moments for some sort of emotional connection. Every flash she'd seen while in Storybrooke happened while they were physically connected. Her heart reached out to Regina's even though Emma wasn't aware of it. If her theory held water, it meant that today in the bathroom, Emma, this Emma, had begun to love her again.

"Emma?" She tried again when the other woman held strong on the second step from the balcony.

"What's happening to me, Regina?" Her voice was so small and terrified. Regina reached for her, stopped mid-air and clenched her hands into fists.

"I'm not absolutely certain," Regina answered honestly. She wasn't certain but she also worried that telling Emma about magic too soon might have sent her running for the hills.

"We've met before, Emma. We've loved before. You disappeared seven months ago and then walked into Granny's that day with no memories of us or this town. Please, come back to the room before you fall over from shock. I have no desire to spend the afternoon at the hospital when you topple down the stairs." She waved one hand towards the bedroom.

Her chest deflated in relief when Emma finally listened and moved past her with slow, zombie-like steps. Ruby made herself known at the bottom of the stairs when she ascended a few and met Regina's gaze. She clutched at the sword pendant around her neck, her telltale anxious tick. She and Belle had necklaces made after returning to Storybrooke rather than buying Belle a ring. Hers depicted a wolf with its tail wrapped around a sword, symbolizing her inner strength and courage… the insignia of a warrior. Belle's showed an open book with a fireball hovering above it. The date they adopted Alex, which also became their engagement date, was engraved into the book page and sword blade. More and more often, Ruby grabbed at it when she felt helpless, searching for strength and courage in the symbol of her love for the family they'd created.

"I'll call the diner and tell them that I'll be a few hours late. Tink's been begging for extra hours anyway. She can stay and cover until I get there if she doesn't catch anything on fire today. Cassidy never made such ridiculous messes," she griped bitterly and then shook her head before anger and grief distracted her.

"I have the books with me anyway, so I can get that done while I wait." Ruby offered up her time without hesitation even though Regina felt the grief roll off of her in waves at the loss of her friend during the Battle for Storybrooke. Cassidy was her right hand at the diner, and Ruby was her loyal and unwavering right hand at life. How the hell had she gotten so damn lucky?

"Thank you, Wolf Pup." She offered a smile that never reached her eyes and turned towards the room. Nothing more needed said. Ruby was intelligent and had figured out by now that Emma's memories returned in flashes that left her confused and angry.

Regina found Emma sitting on the bed with slumped shoulders and a vacant stare pointed at her hands. Her arms hung limply between her legs, palms up as though they might have unlocked all of her secrets if she only studied them long enough. Regina closed the door, giving them the illusion of privacy, though Ruby's advanced hearing probably heard every single sigh.

"I'm her, aren't I?" Emma asked suddenly without looking at her and blinked slowly.

"Her who, Darling?" Regina followed the conversation even if she failed to understand the question. She snuck glances at Emma and snagged her new oversized robe. She stood near the bathroom door and crossed her arms over her aching breasts, giving them a small reprieve from hanging loosely.

"I'm the woman who left you," Emma said with conviction. She'd puzzled together that much at least. Green eyes rolled towards her, followed by the lifting of her ashen face. Regina nodded and dropped her gaze.

"Yes." No other options presented themselves. Circumstance forced her to divulge the truth. Emma always knew when she lied anyway. Emma puffed an emotional sigh and wiped a tear before it fell.

"Why? Why did I leave? Why wouldn't you just tell me? Hell, why take me back at all?" Emma blurted the questions in quick succession, but her voice remained quiet and docile. She was in shock. Regina breathed deeply. How could she possibly have answered them without explaining magic?

"You were in serious danger," Regina started. "We agreed that it was more important for you to get Henry to safety than remain at my side. You were always meant to return when it was safe to do so. My decision of silence when you returned to Storybrooke was a selfish one. We reconnected so easily, and you're…" Regina waved her hand and then dropped it to her side when tears stole her words.

"You're exactly the same. You're still the woman I gave…" she halted and slowly approached the bed, hoping her closer proximity distracted Emma from the statement she nearly made about her heart. The last thing Emma needed was reminded of her flash of Regina removing her heart when Emma carried it during the fight against Cora.

It worked. Emma swallowed nervously and scooted to the very edge at the foot of the bed. Regina ignored the movement for the most part and stacked pillows against the headboard. She sighed in relief as she surrendered her body to the plushy pile, alleviating pressure from her lower back. Emma waited for her to continue answering her questions.

"You're still the woman I fell in love with, Emma. Every detail, every nuance, it's all the same except your memories. I love you, Emma," she whispered the last statement, voice cracking with emotion of finally saying the words she'd held inside for the past two weeks. She pushed forward with a steadying breath.

"I love you so much. I never stopped, not for one second. I'm truly sorry if I've violated your trust by remaining silent, but I was afraid. I was afraid you'd panic and run." Regina finished for the moment and gave into her tears. Emma dropped her gaze and picked at a callous on her palm.

"Because that's what I do," she said quietly. Regina puffed a sigh and nodded.

"Do you think my amnesia was caused by emotional trauma? I assume I was here for the gang attacks, right?" She only wanted to make sense of her condition, but nothing made sense. How could she have forgotten Regina and the child they planned together?

"I suppose it could be related," Regina agreed hesitantly. How much was she able to say before Emma realized she skimmed around the truth? She clenched her jaw against the tears and the grief swelling in her chest and rubbed her belly. Emma was going to run. She saw it in her eyes.

"I should go back to Salem tonight," Emma said suddenly, and Regina hated her intimate knowledge of Emma Swan's mind. She used nobility as an excuse to retreat from an uncomfortable emotional situation. Regina covered her face and sobbed.

"Regina, I won't abandon you or Annabel again. I can't promise that things will be exactly as they were between us, but we made the decision to bring this child into the world together. I believe that much at least. I'll be there for her, but it's not fair to you for me to be here. You can't keep deceiving yourself. My memories are gone, and until they come back, I'm just leading you on.

"You said that I was supposed to come back, but I can't possibly know that until I remember it for myself. For all I know, you're the person I wanted to get Henry away from." Emma swallowed her own tears and dropped her head into her hands. She hadn't really believed a word of what she just said in her heart, but logically, she needed all the facts before exposing her son to this insanity. He clearly suffered from the same amnesia if he'd been here before and knew Regina. There were too many holes in Regina's story.

"Emma," Regina started but choked on her tears and sobbed harder. "Please," she begged, unsure if the word actually sounded like a word.

"I'll go now. I don't want to make this harder than it already is." Emma rasped and whined around her own tears.

She sniffed, wiped her face and stood. She made it as far as the door, pausing with two fingertips on the latch handle. Her forehead fell against the door with a thump a moment before she whirled around strode to the bed. One hand slid behind Regina's neck and the other over her baby belly. Lips pressed firmly onto Regina's temple and lingered. Regina clutched at her shirt and cried harder.

"I'll be back. I need time." Emma whispered against her skin and then she was gone.

"Ruby, let her go," Regina managed in a slightly raised voice, knowing the wolf heard her from downstairs.

Stomping footsteps climbed the stairs and sprinted to her room as the house shuddered with the changing air pressure and subsequent slamming. Ruby barreled into the bedroom vaulted onto the bed over Regina's legs and immediately dropped to her knees. She slumped into the headboard and accept Regina into her arms as the shattered woman fell towards her best friend. Tears instantly soaked her shoulder and chest in a monsoon of grief.

She held the trembling woman and swallowed repeatedly as her own tears threatened to fall. If faced with the same decision, Ruby knew she'd not have possessed the strength to let Belle go with only shaky faith in their love as the only hope of bringing her home. Hot, salty liquid dripped onto her cheeks, and her lips dropped to the crown of Regina's head as she gave into the emotion of the moment. They cried together until the only things left were stuffy noses and aching hearts.

"I don't know if I'm strong enough to keep believing when I know she's out there and not here by choice. She left me, Ruby. How am I supposed to keep believing?" Regina murmured into the wet skin beneath her cheek.

No answer came to mind, so Ruby tightened her grip and kissed her forehead. Her friends had been through enough. Why couldn't they just be happy?


	12. Round One

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Cowboys and Angels by Dustin Lynch, I Need You by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, No Fear by Terri Clark

The snow fell in gentle swirls. The streets of Storybrooke were deserted, and Ruby swore the temperature felt colder though it hadn't changed all week. She had flipped all the lights off an hour ago and sat in the dim pinkish hue of snow and fluorescent blue glow filtering in from the street. Tonight made exactly one week since Emma left. She hadn't called or texted or emailed or sent a smoke signal, nor had she answered any of theirs. Regina was a wreck, and she wasn't much better. She threw herself into the diner, mostly avoiding the disparaging tension of grief and anger at their home. There was nothing to be said or done to heal what had broken inside her best friend, and she had adamantly refused her comfort after the second night.

She scratched her forehead and squinted at her inventory log and order sheets. Granny understood this crap much better than she ever had. She was good with the people, and Granny handled the books. They had made the perfect team, but now… She slugged back another shot. She never wanted to take over Granny's diner or be faced with the reality of her grandmother's mortality or be considered a Heroine of Storybrooke or become best friends with the freaking Lost Soul from a prophesy so old virtually everyone believed it to be fiction.

"How many does that make?" Belle's accented voice asked quietly from the darkness. She must have magic flashed from the house into the backroom. Ruby rubbed her eyes with a thumb and forefinger and sighed deeply. Her elbow thumped to the counter and cupped the back of her neck as she bowed her head.

"I don't know. 4 or 5, I guess," Ruby answered honestly, despite her desire to lie. If it had been anyone but Belle, she doubted her ability to tell the truth. Warm hands slid over her shoulders, squeezed lightly and then trailed down her back and ribs before clasping tightly around her thin waist.

"Don't do this to yourself, Sweetheart," Belle whispered and pressed her lips to the side of her neck and held them there.

"I don't know what else to do when everyone expects me to be so damn strong all the time," Ruby admitted sourly and dropped the pen to the counter. It clattered and then left them alone in the dark, silent diner.

"You don't have to be strong all the time with me," Belle whispered against her neck. Ruby twitched uncomfortably.

"Where's Alex?" She asked rather than acknowledge Belle's statement and everything it implied. Belle exhaled a long breath through her nose and onto her neck.

"She finally settled down in bed with Regina. She's fine, and Regina knows I'm here." Belle answered the question begrudgingly. Ruby was as finicky about emotions that made her feel vulnerable as their daughter was about bedtime. Her lips moved across the muscle between Ruby's shoulder and neck.

"It's okay to feel what you're feeling, Ruby. We're all upset, but you should be the most upset after Regina. We put too much on you sometimes because you're strong, Baby. You're the strongest person I know. Let me be strong for you tonight," she pleaded. Her hands moved to the strings tied at her throat and pulled them loose when Ruby offered no protest. It was the week before the full moon, but they'd not even made love once since Emma left.

"Belle, I hurt you really badly last time," Ruby said half-heartedly. It was the last stronghold between her and the breakdown she so desperately needed. Her cape fell away and appeared in front of her face across the paperwork she hadn't finished. Slowly, Belle spun the stool until they faced each other and inserted herself between Ruby's knees.

"Ruby Lucas, everything you did to me last month was amazing. I can take it, Sweetheart." Ruby dropped her gaze, and Belle brought it back immediately with soft hands.

"Whatever you need to do to me to keep you from drinking, I can take it. More than that, I want it. I'm not exactly gentle during the full moon, either. I like feeling out of control with you. Otherwise, I wouldn't rile your wolf so much," she admitted shyly. Ruby smelled her arousal, saw the blush tinge her cheeks and neck. Her eyes flared yellow, and Belle smiled.

"Let me take care of you tonight. Don't worry about being strong or holding back because you might cry. Just feel whatever you feel. You don't have to be strong for me, Ruby. We're strong for each other, remember?" Belle soothed her frightened lover with words and excited her with hands on firm breasts beneath her shirt.

Nipples hardened immediately beneath the cotton of her bra. Ruby straightened her spine and buried her fingers in the swooping curls of her lover's hair as their mouths connected. The slow kiss paced itself appropriately to the emotions of the moment and stripped away the last of Ruby's resolve. Nimble fingers worked the buttons of her simple blue water resistant shirt she'd begun wearing, and it fell to the floor in a heap around the pole of the stool.

The fingers moved to the tank top tucked into her blue-black jeans, and then hot hands pressed into the skin of her back. Lips ghosted over her chest, and a low moan vibrated them when they reached the hollow of her throat. Panic welled in her chest when tears burned her eyes, and she clutched Belle's shoulders. The librarian nipped gently at her pulse point and sucked it into her mouth. She felt Ruby's resistance build again, and normally at this point, she switched tactics to something a little rougher and less emotional. Not tonight. Tonight Ruby Lucas was going to breakdown in her arms and get herself back on track.

"Belle," Ruby croaked and pushed gently at her shoulders. Belle pushed back and used the leverage to pull Ruby's hips to the edge of the stool and flush against hers.

"You're okay," Belle whispered against the shell of her ear as she pulled the tank top over her ribs. Ruby snagged her sweater as they came together for another kiss. It lasted as long as it took the sweater to reach their chins. Belle allowed the removal but nothing else.

Belle pushed her shoulders until her back hit the counter. She leaned her head back and gripped Belle's ass when wet lips pressed into her chest. A harsh gasp exploded suddenly from her throat when their hips slid together, adding pressure in just the right spot. Belle smiled against her skin and repeated the motion until the slow rhythm forced Ruby's hands to the edge of the counter for balance. Her eyes were wide open and staring at the ceiling, chest heaving, tears dripping. She had her.

Belle unsnapped her bra and held it above her breasts with her nose. Her tongue laved a pert nipple while her fingers worked at the belt and button on Ruby's pants. It took only a few seconds until her fingers slid into Ruby's soaked panties. The wolf bucked as skilled fingers danced over her clit and teased her entrance. Her eyes slammed shut and her chin quivered. Belle knew exactly which touch made her come undone physically and which one shattered emotionally. She collected the pieces as she went and fit them all back together at the end. That fact never made letting go any easier.

The librarian stepped from between her knees and held the back of her neck. Her kisses remained slow and controlled despite Ruby's desperate attempts to heat them and speed the progression of her fingers. Ruby always resisted when her emotions were too deep for words. She huffed in frustration and pulled away. Belle teased her entrance with two fingers and inserted them as far as the first knuckle.

"I can't," Ruby gasped. Her chest deflated with the first anguished sobbing sigh.

"Shhh, you're alright. I've got you," Belle soothed against her ear and scratched lightly at the hairline on the back of her neck. Ruby pressed her forehead to her temple and nodded.

With painstaking tenderness and patience, the two fingers penetrated the hot, slick walls. Ruby panted the scent of spicy bourbon onto her cheek. Her velvet walls clenched when the fingertips bumped that rough patch of skin within her. Just as slowly, they receded until Belle's bent wrist stretched her jeans as far as possible. Ruby squirmed when they buried themselves once more.

"Belle, please," she sobbed, submitting her body and emotions to the woman who held her heart.

Belle obliged her lover with another finger and a slightly faster but still slow and steady pace. Ruby hummed, satisfied with the new friction and progression of her building orgasm. Between not touching Belle in a week, the upcoming full moon, and the heightened emotions, she teetered on the precipice of oblivion. She tried to relax and allow it to flow naturally, but she tensed instead, knowing if she came while crying, it would have been her complete and utter undoing.

"Darling, stop trying so hard," Belle ordered gently, sensing her lover's frustration at her body's refusal to obey her commands.

"Trust me, My Love. I'll not let you fall apart." Those tender words inspired a sob and a painful clench around her fingers.

"I love you." Another clench and an erratic roll of hips against her hand.

Belle pulled back enough to study her lover's face. It scrunched tightly under the force of her pending orgasm, eyes shut, mouth opened and panting. She slid halfway out and back in a few times in quick succession, bumping her slick clit with a thumb. Ruby cried out once and grabbed at her frantically. Tears streamed freely down her face, and tiny whimpers vibrated against her neck every time she wiggled her fingers against Ruby's g-spot.

Belle waited, almost counted down in her head, for Ruby's further resistance. Papers flew as the wolf suddenly spun them and lifted her to the counter. Trembling fingers pushed at her shoulders until she laid down and then at her skirt. She managed to remove Belle's thong before breaking down. She collapsed onto the stool again and hid her face in Belle's stomach to muffle the anguished wails. The librarian scratched at her scalp and rode the stormy wave until it broke upon the shore.

"I don't know how to help her," she murmured in a deep voice once the tears subsided. Belle sat up, forcing her back. She hiked her skirt one side at a time and lowered herself onto Ruby's lap. They hugged each other tightly, both thankful that they weren't Emma and Regina, though the words would have never in million years been uttered.

"Emma will come home, Sweetheart. She found Regina with absolutely no memory of who she was. She'll be back. Her aversion to commitment and the broken memories must be terrifying. When her heart reminds her that she feels empty without Regina and Annabel, she'll be back. Trust that. Until then, we only have to hold her together enough to keep her safe and moving." Belle's tone exuded confidence, and Ruby nodded.

"It just hurts. They've been through so much." Ruby's forehead dropped to her shoulder. The further they moved from her major breakdown, the more comfortable she felt seeking comfort and strength from her beautiful lover. Belle trailed gentle fingers of both hands over the hair on her spine over and over. It was getting so long.

"Belle?" Ruby said without raising her head.

"Hmm?" She adjusted her cheek against her temple, the soft strands tickling her sensitive scar.

"Will you poof us home? I want to feel you," Ruby asked insecurely as if she feared Belle's rejection. Silly wolf.

"Hold your breath. Earth magic is dusty."

Ruby nodded and obeyed, and then relaxed against the headboard when she felt the familiar plush of their bed. Belle already unzipped her skirt and tugged it over her head by the time she acclimated to reality. She almost hated poofing except for the fact that it was so damn convenient. Belle's bra joined the skirt on the floor, and all thoughts of magic poofed from her mind as the warm body above her slid against her skin.

Ruby woke up to the obnoxious blaring of her ringtone. She really had to change it before Alex picked up on the crude lyrics. A warm body suctioned against her back when she moved. A small hand squeezed the breast it covered, and the leg wrapped around her thigh tightened. She snagged the bottom leg hole of her jeans with two fingers and pulled at them sluggishly. It was still dark outside, and she had the morning shifts off on the weekends to be with Belle and Alex. Belle growled into her shoulder blade when the song started again. Whoever called really needed to speak with her.

"Yeah?" She mumbled, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Ruby Elizabeth Lucas, whose butt floss did I sweep off the floor this morning?" Granny yelled into the phone. Belle snickered into her back, apparently able to hear the elder Lucas clearly.

"Uhhh," Ruby stuttered.

"You cannot keep doing this, Girl. You're a mother now, and thank the stars it was my bag of bones opening this morning instead of one of the other girls." Granny berated her granddaughter. Ruby swallowed roughly and cracked one eye as she pulled the phone back and checked the time.

"Granny, it's 5:07. Could this possibly have waited?" Her voice rumbled, evidence of the multiple straight shots of bourbon.

"Does Belle know that you were drinking yourself into a stupor last night?" She sniped, and Ruby rubbed her face. It was not a stupor. She hadn't even gotten a hangover.

"Yes, she knows. Granny, please, I will do anything you want if you let me go back to sleep right now and yell at me later. I have about an hour and a half before Alex is roaring and ready to go." Ruby pleaded with her grandmother so pitifully that the older woman gave in or at the very least became too frustrated to speak if the click ending the call said anything.

"Butt floss?" Belle giggled into her back. Ruby groaned.

"Babe, I know you like to give things unique names, but please, don't ever call your thongs that again. It just takes the sexy right out of them." Ruby laughed despite the crude description of the underwear.

"And where does this rate on the sexy meter?" Belle asked as she rolled Ruby onto her back, straddled her hips, and then sank beneath the blanket. Ruby sighed at the first contact of wet, scorching tongue on the sensitive flesh between her legs.

"Top. Top of the meter," she stuttered and flipped the blanket off her body so her lover maintained the ability to breath and continue that flicky thing she'd developed all on her own.

By the time they showered and dress, Regina and Alex disappeared from upstairs. They found them in the kitchen making coffee. Regina listened to the girl carefully and answered her questions with the patience of a saint. She was made to be a mother, and Alex seemed to be the only thing that coaxed her from her turtle shell of depression during the past week. The girl brightened further when she saw her mothers. Belle opened her arms for a hug and then jerked in surprise and mock irritation when blonde hair flew past her and wrapped around Ruby's leg.

"Wolf! Play music!" She demanded. Ruby smiled brightly down at the girl and then dramatically lifted her leg as she hobbled back towards the foyer. Regina and Belle knew the wolf could have carried twice Alex's weight around her leg without wincing, but the exaggerated grunts and jostling inspired the infectious laughter of their child every time. It was a much needed sound in the house that morning.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on her last night," Belle said, steering clear of asking Regina how she was or why she felt the need to go to the diner last night.

"I love watching Alex. She's very curious, like Henry was at that age," she answered without thinking about it. Her breath hitched at the mention of her son, but Regina smiled sadly, took a deep breath, and poured her a cup of coffee. The expression grew when Ruby's slightly raspy voice, indicative of morning and alcohol and sex, filtered through the house along with the confident strums of her guitar.

"It's nice to have an experienced hand around. I'm not sure we thank you enough for the guidance." Belle offered cautiously, hoping to keep Regina speaking. The elder witch waved a dismissive hand.

"As I said, it's pleasure. It's amazing what heals under the innocent love of a child." She sat on a stool with her decaf tea and propped her head on a hand. She was emotional and exhausted, but something finally changed in her demeanor.

Belle opened her mouth to ask, but the words fell short at the sharp yell for them in the living room. A snarl that sounded much like a wolf's followed. Belle rushed forward first, pulling on her magic. She stumbled to a stop when she saw the huge blackish-grey wolf that looked a hell of a lot like Ruby baring its teeth at Ruby and Alex.

"Belle, hit it!" Ruby yelled and held Alex tighter, using her back as a shield. Belle loosed the spell into the creature, but the yellow smoke blew right through it and dissipated.

"Step aside, amatuer," Regina ordered as she finally caught up. She held out both hands dramatically, but the wolf snarled and growled and advanced on Alex and Ruby.

"It's not working!" Regina yelled and waved her hands again. The wolf growled. Ruby's anger took over. If magic proved useless, she intended to rip it limb from limb with her bare hands.

"Catch!" She whirled in a half circle and tossed her daughter in a perfect arc, the force of which knocked Belle to her ass when Alex hit her chest. She gasped but scrambled towards the front door with Regina and Alex. She grabbed a coat for both and handed them out the door.

The wolf lunged at the same time she'd flung her daughter. Ruby cried out in pain when sharp claws ripped at the flesh of her back. It had been a stupid and distracted move, but Alex came first. She'd heal if she survived. Her sword and wolf pendant clattered to the floor, the chain cut or broken by the claw.

"Belle!" Regina called.

"I won't leave her!" She yelled and slammed the door, though she was virtually useless without her magic or a weapon.

She bounded up the steps into the foyer. Ruby lay on her back with the wolf's mouth inches from her throat. They pushed against each other so hard that Ruby's arm muscles shook from the effort of holding the beast back, and its claws dug into the hardwood floor as it struggled to best Ruby's strength. They were matched evenly.

"You're right," Ruby said as though the wolf spoke to her telepathically. "I am afraid, but I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of losing them to you, but I'd kill myself before I ever let you hurt them!" She yelled into the slobbering jowls.

The wolf's head snapped back when Ruby pushed forward enough to turn sideways and grab her pendant. One hand caught the wolf around the throat mid-lunge. The force knocked her back to the floor as her other hand drove the pendant deep into the wolf's neck. It gurgled, but no blood spilled out. Ruby pulled back and drove the tiny sword into its target once more. The wolf fell over onto its side, and Ruby let it go, certain the animal would rise no more.

It disappeared in a puff of green smoke as it exhaled its last breath. The pendant clattered to the floor, and Ruby reached for it. The second her fingertips touched it, a green puff of smoke took it as well. Belle ignored the odd occurance for the moment and rushed forward. Her bare knees slid in Ruby's blood as she dropped beside her fiancee.

"Ruby? Oh my god, your back is shredded." Belle panicked momentarily before her training kicked in, and she pulled a deep, steadying breath into her lungs. She released it in the form of a yell.

"Regina! Get in here! It's safe!" Ruby jumped at the sudden noise. Belle pulled off her sweater and pressed it into Ruby's gushing wounds. Sticky blood covered her arms and torso as she supported Ruby's weight against her chest.

"You're okay, Baby. You're okay." But it was a lot of blood, and she was only able to slow it minimally with her two hands. She nearly cried in relief when the door opened.

"Regina, take Alex to the hospital. Don't bring her up here. I'm going to poof there with Ruby. Trust no one. Our curse castor made his or her first move towards endgame." She offered nothing else before drawing on the earth and focusing her thoughts on the emergency room.

People jumped and gasped when she appeared suddenly in the middle of the floor, but there was no hesitation in their assistance when they realized who it was. A gurney appeared. Someone said Zambrano's name behind her. Hands pulled her away and took over pressure with guaze pads and santitized towels. She knew Ruby required emergency surgery, even as a wolf. She tried not to think about what inside bits she'd seen hanging out of her lover. Someone was going to die a slow and painful death.

"Belle, is any of the blood yours?" A nurse asked. She searched for the woman's name but came up blank. She'd fought at her side only months ago. She'd have remembered then. She shook her head.

She glanced down at the bloody chest and stomach, well, everything really. Ruby lost a lot of blood. She closed her eyes, pulled on the earth, snapped her fingers. A murmur pulled through the small crowd in the emergency room when the blood disappeared and was replaced with her leather pants, black t-shirt, combat boots, and weapons.

"Are we under attack?" A sickly sweet accented voice asked. The woman had natural red hair and sophisticated features. Belle had never seen her before.

"Who are you? You weren't originally in Storybrooke during the first curse." She demanded in her best Commander Belle voice, despite the sharp fear in her heart for Ruby.

"I'm Zelena. I was a midwife in our land. I'm here currently at hospital inquiring about freelance work or an opening they may have for one with my particular skill set." She answered the question in a quivering voice indicative of fear. Still, Belle eyed her warily. Something felt off about her, but she seemed harmless enough.

"Listen up, people! Storybrooke is yet again under attack. Ruby was just the first. I can feel it. You trusted me once before, and I brought you through. Trust me now when I say that Regina Mills did not do this! So, stop flinging vitriol and pointing fingers at the wrong person and stay vigilant."

Point made, she spun on her heel and stomped towards the surgical waiting room. She knew the way all too well. Once alone, she slumped into a chair and rested her elbows on her knees. Her head lulled between her already shaking shoulders, and she released the tears she'd fought since seeing Ruby's destroyed back.

"Damn it, Emma. Come home and break this curse."


	13. Every Time I Cry

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Every Time I Cry by Terri Clark, Only a Memory by Icon for Hire

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><p>The small waiting room had long since grown quiet. Granny cuddled a napping Alex in a corner chair, crossbow within reach on the table. Snow leaned against David's chest and rubbed his forearm around her waist. Her bow and quiver of arrows rested beside her on the hard vinyl sofa, and he held the tip of his sword against the toe of his boot. They had graciously cleaned up Ruby's blood from the floor before coming to sit with them. Captain stood stoically by the door, arms crossed tightly over her chest, sword at her back and gun at her hip. Regina fanned herself and wiped sweat from her forehead for the tenth time, and Belle squinted her eyes at the elder witch across the small space. Something wasn't right.<p>

She'd felt it this morning with Regina in the kitchen and she felt it now. The only reason Regina became pregnant and carried Annabel this far was because of Emma's belief in her ability to do so. If they stopped believing, was Annabel in danger? It was a bleak thought, but the hypothetical worry distracted her from the very real worry of losing her life partner.

"Granny," she said suddenly as another thought flitted into her mind. The old woman raised her eyes but said nothing.

"The bottle of bourbon that Ruby drank from last night. Not that much was missing from it, so I assume she opened it. Did you recognize it? Had you seen it before this morning?" She asked. Regina perked as she followed the thought.

"I thought she bought it last night. Why?" Granny huffed. She seemed fine, so Belle allowed her a moment to be excited and upset over her granddaughter's situation.

"Where's your mind, Bookworm?" Regina asked and sat up in her growing excitement. She felt like crap on toast, but the wheels of her magical mind twirled as she connected with her sister witch.

"Night root," Belle informed them as though she were an idiot for not having seen it before that moment.

"The fear compound in dreamscape curses?" Regina blurted in the same tone. Of course, they were idiots. Everyone else glanced between the two in confusion.

"Exactly. If ingested in its pure form, it can cause corporeal manifestations of a person's deepest fear, or so I've read. I've never actually seen it, but it's the only explanation that makes sense." Belle scrubbed her hand over her face. They had Ruby's courage, whoever _they_ were.

"Ruby's not afraid of her wolf, Belle, not since learning control," Regina countered, clinging to the hope that Belle's insinuation of this morning's events were incorrect.

"When I went back inside for her, I heard her talking to it. It must have been inside her mind because it said nothing that I heard. She said," Belle scratched her forehead and recalled the exact words.

"She said, 'I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of losing them to you, but I'd kill myself before I ever let you hurt them.' She meant me and Alex, I'm sure of it. She's terrified of losing control and hurting one of us like she hurt Peter. She's never said anything explicitly, but I can see the fear when we…" Granny cleared her throat and conspicuously covered Alex's ears even though she napped soundly. Belle's ears burned.

"When we do what we do during wolf's week," she finished roughly, cleared her throat. "She killed the wolf this morning with the sword on her pendant necklace. It disappeared in green smoke. What sort of magic is that?" Belle directed the question to Regina who raised her eyebrows and shook her head tightly.

"I'm not certain, but they took the object representational of her courage. She finds courage and conviction in her family, those she loves. She loves no one more than you and Alex. Why would they need that? Some sort of spell ingredient, perhaps?" Regina answered the question with far more questions of her own.

"Okay, weird magic aside for the moment, why Ruby?" Snow asked with wide eyes. "If obtaining the talisman of her courage was the objective, why not Regina or Belle? No offense or judgment, but you've both done things that required a great deal of courage. We all have. Why Ruby?" She elaborated, truly seeking understanding. She was scared and missed Emma. Now her second grandchild was threatened by some unseen force they all failed to remember because of the curse. It was a miserable position.

"We have, but not like Ruby," Belle said darkly. She hated herself for what she knew needed to be done. She stood, paced, crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the small window of the waiting room.

"When she carried Cora's heart," she started in a low, raspy voice, stopped.

"She tried to kill herself twice," Regina finished and took the responsibility of breaking Ruby's trust from her partner's shoulders. "She would have succeeded had Mother not intervened. She wanted to protect all of us. Time and again, she's sacrificed herself, not just for her family but everyone. How many magic blasts has she jumped in front of, knowing she was completely defenseless? Ruby killed innocent people before she knew she was a wolf, but not since discovering her true self. She's the only one of us with true darkness who has never given into it. That, perhaps, is truer courage than acts of bravery. That's why, despite the amount of blood on her paws, her heart is still pure. If you pull it out and look at it, there's no darkness there. No evil." Regina explained the situation to everyone.

Granny inhaled sharply but remained quiet. David stared between Belle and Regina with a slack jaw. Little Ruby Red truly was a big damn hero. Snow sniffed but managed to bite down on her tears. She truly hadn't appreciated Red enough when she'd been loyal to her like she now was to Regina and Belle and Emma. Captain silently absorbed all the new information as Belle met Regina's eyes and nodded gratefully. Regina bowed her head slightly and lowered her eyes. It was submissive and respectful and the only approval Belle ever needed for her unwavering loyalty to the wolf they both loved more than themselves.

"Belle, we need to protect your heart. I placed an enchantment on mine that prevents it from being crushed or used to control me should it be taken. You and I will kill each other or someone else with magic if pitted against one another. I'm stronger, especially with Annabel's magic inside of me, but you're too powerful for me to simply restrain." Regina explained in a neutral voice. Anyone else may have been offended. David and Snow reacted visibly to the presumably cold words. Even Captain shifted uncomfortably. She essentially told one of her closest friends that she intended to kill her if they fell on opposite battle lines. Belle simply blinked and nodded.

"Do it now," Belle ordered and presented her chest to the woman she never believed she'd trust.

Regina studied her hard blue eyes with appreciation. She'd truly underestimated Belle for so many years. She was a warrior as much as she was a scholar. She wiped sweat from her forehead again and ignored her pounding heart and jittery hands. She snapped her fingers and a vial of light purple liquid appeared. She scooted to the edge of her seat, and Belle knelt in front of her like a soldier being knighted.

Without hesitation or coddling that would have insulted both of them, Regina plunged her free hand into the librarian's chest. Belle winced as the organ pulled free. Regina swallowed roughly at the sight of so many dark swirls bumping against the brilliant pink of her friend's heart. What the hell had Belle done that caused this dramatic blackening after 30 years of not harming a soul aside from self-defense? She should have redeemed herself by now. Without comment, she opened the vial with her thumb and sprinkled the potion onto the pulsing organ with a few words to strengthen the enchantment. Belle winced again when she returned the organ.

"Can you enchant Ruby's?" She asked from her kneeling position. Regina shook her head and held up the now empty vial.

"I'd need the specific journal from Rumpelstiltskin's library. I haven't found it yet. This was the last of what I made over 40 years ago. I kept it in my vault. I don't remember the ingredients. I'm sorry." Regina explained in a frustrated tone. Had she known her heart destined for redemption, she'd have kept better records of such things.

They both jerked when the door opened abruptly. Everyone shot to their feet and edged towards Granny and Alex but froze two steps into the transition. Belle smirked. Snow and David grinned at each other. Captain holstered her gun. Granny harrumphed and rubbed her great granddaughter's back soothingly. Regina spoke.

"Emma?" The blonde waved one hand a distracted and sheepish greeting and looked around at the odd and antiquated array of weapons in the room. No one seemed ready to attack, so she took a tentative step into the room and closed the door.

"I, uhhh, I got your text," she addressed Regina. "I got here as soon as I could. Is Ruby okay?" She hovered by the door even as her heart pounded at her to rush to Regina and hold her tightly. Regina only stared with an opened mouth rather than answer.

"No word yet. She's still in surgery," Snow answered thickly. She longed to hug her daughter, but that emotional reaction was inappropriate for the moment. The stunted conversation stilled again when the door opened once more.

"Mom, all they have are old people chips in hospital vending machines," Henry whined in a scratchy, cracking voice of an adolescent boy and hiked his backpack higher on his shoulder and juggled the chips and the door with the other hand. "I got you corn chips. They had Funions, though, so it's not that terrible."

"Henry," Regina whispered in a breathy whine. He'd grown so tall. He was almost as tall as Emma. His body finally hit his pre-teen growth spurt. Her tears fell unabashedly, and Belle squeezed her knee supportively as she fought tears of her own. She swore the scar on her face twinged.

"Uhhh, hi. I'm sorry. Do I know you?" He asked Regina in confusion. Emma tipped the back of his head lightly with her palm.

"Is that how you treat a crying woman?" She berated and hung her hands over her hips.

Henry shook his head, properly ashamed for his outburst. He handed over his backpack and chips and crossed the room, very aware of the many sets of eyes on him. He sat beside Regina and touched her shoulder compassionately. Regina cried harder, and Emma dropped her eyes to the floor and tightened her jaw muscles. She hadn't returned to rekindle any sort of romance. She came because her heart told her it was the right thing to do. Regina clearly needed support right now, and she had reached out to her.

"Are you okay, Ma'am?" Henry asked politely. Regina covered the hand on her shoulder, much larger than she remembered and nodded.

"I'll be alright, Henry. Thank you for asking," Regina managed around her tears. She sniffed, and Henry pulled a tissue from the box on the table beside him and handed it to her. She wiped her face and nose and smiled brightly at the boy.

"Your mother has told me about you. Please forgive a silly pregnant woman for her emotional outbursts," she explained and waved at her face with a small chuckle. The boy took the words at face value if no one else believed the blatant lie.

Emma stepped forward and handed him his backpack and chips and then leaned on the opposite wall near the door. Regina's heart sunk into her stomach. She'd called and Emma came running as she promised she would, but her visit pertained solely to Ruby's severe injuries and not them specifically. Emma averted her eyes back to the floor and focused on the possible reasons they had so many weapons in one place.

Henry pulled out his book of fairytales now that the excitement of their arrival passed and quietly read beside Regina and the woman sitting on the floor in front of her. Eyes met at all angles as everyone recognized the book instantly. They'd all seen it and read it and heard him harp about it a hundred times at least. Crap on burnt toast. The last thing Emma needed was her son freaking her out by calling them all fairytale characters. Belle jumped to the rescue.

"I'm Belle," the librarian said and offered her hand to Henry. The boy glanced up from his book and grasped her hand politely.

"That's David and Mary Margaret. Captain is in the corner over there by the door in the deputy uniform. Granny," she said and pointed at the old woman who fought valiantly against her own tears. They had grown close during their hero talks, and she'd missed him more than she cared to admit to herself. "Alexandra is my daughter. This is Regina Mills. She's the Mayor of Storybrooke." Belle finished the introduction with Regina, hoping to focus the boy's attention on the fact that he'd just comforted a powerful figure in the small town.

"It's nice to meet all of you. So, you're all involved with the case my mom has been working on up here?" He asked politely, and Regina bit her lip. Emma hadn't even told him who she was.

"Sure are," David piped with a fake smile, saving the women from their misery of answering the question.

"Why do they call you Captain?" He asked the scary amazon with the blank face and bulging forearm muscles.

"Military turned local law enforcement," the woman answered in a gruff voice. Captain never spoke much, but when she did, people listened. Henry nodded with respect.

"That's cool. Did you go to Iraq?" He continued curiously.

"Henry." Emma warned and then offered an embarrassed smile to the woman as apology.

"It's fine," Captain assured the flustered mother. "I have been to war, but not that one," she answered Henry's question in a tone that cautioned him away from further questions. The boy dropped his gaze sheepishly and then glanced at Granny.

"So, everyone calls you Granny?" Emma palm slapped her face, and she reminded herself how much she loved her motor mouth.

"They do, but you may call me Elizabeth if you'd prefer," the woman offered kindly, and everyone in the room stirred in shock. None of them had known Granny's actual name. The woman's emotions clearly cut deeper at the boy's presence than any of them realized if she attempted to spare herself the pain of Henry calling her Granny.

"Elizabeth is a pretty name. Why do you go by Granny?" He continued when no one stopped his line of questioning, namely his mother.

"Oh," the woman cleared her throat. She'd been called Granny since Ruby came to live with her and Widow Lucas before that and Mama before that after having her daughter. "I own a diner called Granny's. The name stuck, I suppose." She finally settled on a partial truth.

"A diner! Cool! Mom and I love diners. Do you think I could come by sometime and watch you in the kitchen?" He spurted excitedly, nearly dislodging his book from his knees. Emma dropped her chin to her chest and chuckled at the boy's antics.

"Henry," she giggled and tried unsuccessfully to stop. She held her breath. It welled in her chest and burst through her lips again.

Snow and David also found their grandson amusing and offered a chuckle. Captain cracked a grin. Before they realized it, the room filled up with amused chuckles and giggles at the boy. Henry laughed at himself but stole glances at Granny and his mother as he waited patiently for an answer. Emma calmed with a relieved whine and wiped at her eyes.

"You are such a weird kid. Where'd you get that?" She asked the boy who shrugged his shoulders.

"If you have no objections, Miss Swan, I'll happily put the boy to work while you're in town. I'll need an extra hand until Ruby recovers." She offered and unconsciously nodded towards Regina. Everyone wanted her and Regina together.

"If you're sure," Emma said and dropped her gaze again as she sobered. "Excuse me. I'm going to go get some air." She bolted from the room abruptly, leaving behind several confused and pained stares.

"Uhhh, she's been doing that a lot lately since she started this case. I don't know why it makes her cry so much." Henry said as he stood, intending to chase his mother. He was still the kind, compassionate boy Regina raised.

She stood with him. Everyone came to their feet, even Granny with Alex tucked safely in her arms, when an obvious wave of dizziness hit Regina. Her legs hadn't straightened before she fell backwards into the sofa and covered her eyes with a shaking hand. David held her shoulders and prevented any further attempts. Belle cupped her clammy cheek with one hand and rubbed her stomach with the other. Granny and Captain hovered nervously at the edges of the crowd.

"I'll send in a nurse and go check on Emma. Henry stay here with your… with Mayor Mills," Snow said and sprinted from the room.

"Mama?" Alex mumbled, and Belle winced. Of course the excitement woke her daughter.

"Just a minute, Baby. Stay with Granny." Belle told her daughter gently, clearly torn between the distressed pregnant woman and the child who cried herself to sleep about an hour ago because she wanted Wolf.

"Henry!" Alex squirmed towards the boy and flung her arms around his neck. The preteen jerked back in surprise but accepted the weight of the child from her grandmother.

"Hey Alexandra," he said down to the girl. How had she known his name? "Do you want me to read you a story?" The girl nodded with sleepy eyes, and Henry collected his book and moved away from the crowd of adults around the pregnant mayor.

Belle mentally punched herself in the head once and then ignored the wiggling anxiety in the back of her mind. Regina's weak spell required her attention more than preventing Henry from recognizing them from his book. One crisis at a time. The elder witch brushed away their concerned hands, and everyone pressed back, giving her some air.

"Enough. I'm fine," Regina insisted in a threatening tone. Granny intervened the pending hissy fit.

"Girl, you are not fine. Now sit there, shut up and let us take care of you. I'll not have you stress my grandbaby anymore than she already is." She sat beside Regina and took her trembling hand between both of her warm leathery ones. The mayor calmed visibly. The faint spell had scared her, which inspired the volatile reaction.

"You're okay, Regina," Belle soothed and rubbed her swollen tummy. "We're here for you." Regina nodded and wiped at a tear with her free hand. Her eyes flickered to Henry and Alex, but the boy was fully engrossed in a story about Red Riding Hood.

"Please. I want Emma." The plea was almost inaudible, forcing Belle to read her lips. She nodded and moved as far as finding her feet before four women barreled into the room, Emma leading the pack.

Belle and David stepped back as Emma hit her knees in front of Regina and touched her stomach with both hands. The nurse accompanying Dr. Zambrano immediately pressed her stethoscope to Regina's heaving chest and then took her pulse. She met the doctor's gaze and hooked the tube of her medical instrument around her neck.

"I'm going to go get a blood pressure cuff. I'll be right back, Eva." She said quickly and was out the door.

"Thank you, Lauren," the doctor said needlessly. She hadn't heard her.

"Hey, I'm here." Emma's voice was tender. Her emotions towards Regina were jumbled and confused, that much was clear, but she loved and wanted Annabel. It was something.

"Emma," Regina breathed and covered her hands on her stomach. Emma avoided her eyes and focused on their joined hands. If she distracted herself from the strong emotions towards the mayor, she thwarted her memory flashes. Dr. Zambrano cleared her throat.

"Miss Lucas will make a full recovery. We took a skin graft from her thigh to cover the wound over her kidney, which is what took so long. We repaired that kidney, and it should heal but needs monitored. We may have to remove it. Aside from that, there was only extensive deep muscle damage. Ruby's going to be fine and back to full health with some physical therapy and her extraordinary healing abilities." Eva announced proudly. She'd taken extra time to repair as much muscle and tissue as possible, considering the wolf was nearly always a major player in each new threat that came to town. The careful stitching inside and out that she normally wouldn't have focused on only expedited the healing process.

"Thank you, Eva," Belle praised and flung her arms around the doctor's neck. Eva stiffened uncomfortably but allowed the small contact. Belle jerked back and smiled apologetically. Since their return to The Enchanted Forest and subsequently Storybrooke, Eva's soul seeing abilities had returned.

"Eva." Captain offered her a hand, and the surgeon accepted gratefully. No one quite understood the odd connection between the two women, but Captain's touch quieted the intense flashes. She never ventured too far from the tortured doctor.

"Thank you." She breathed and allowed a few moments of reprieve and then took a deep breath and moved to Regina's side when Lauren returned. Granny gave the doctor her seat.

The two medical professionals worked silently. Lauren checked Regina's blood pressure, and Eva pressed in certain places on her belly, felt her clammy forehead. Lauren shook her head and hooked the ear pieces around her neck. She removed the cuff before speaking.

"Regina, your blood pressure is through the roof," Lauren informed everyone but spoke directly to Regina.

"Regina, may I speak freely about your pregnancy?" Eva asked, mindful of the confidentiality agreement. Regina nodded.

"Given the stage of your Endometriosis and the shape of your uterus, there is no scientific reason why you've been able to carry Annabel this far. It shouldn't have been possible, but here she is. I'm not an OB, but if I had to guess, I'd say that you are in the early stages of Pre-eclampsia. It's a blood pressure condition very common for women in their second and third trimesters with Endometriosis. I need you to go home and lay down for the rest of the day and make an appointment with your OB as soon as possible. And by as soon as possible, I mean let me get you a wheelchair and take you up there to see if we can get you an ultrasound and a full check up right now." She stood to leave, but Emma stopped her.

"Doc, how serious is this?" She was scared. It was wonderful to see a glimpse of the old Emma.

"As I said, I'm not an OB. It might be all of the excitement of the day or it might be something a little more serious. I can't give you an absolute answer. I can say that if it is Pre-eclampsia, Dr. Montgomery is going to put Regina on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy given the other conditions." Emma nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer. It was gentle and informative but left room for error. It was a good answer.

"Belle, Granny, if you'll come with me, I'll take you to Ruby," Lauren said. Belle glanced between the nurse and her daughter and Regina. The poor woman was torn in so many directions it hurt.

"We'll look after Alex. Go see Ruby," Snow offered. David nodded his agreement.

"I'm going with Regina," Emma stated boldly as if any of the other adults might have challenged that decision. "Henry, get your stuff together."

"If you'd like, Emma, David and I wouldn't mind taking Henry to the diner with us to grab something to eat." The offer was genuine, and Snow prayed the exuberance on the inside had been tempered in her voice. She wanted desperately to spend time with Henry.

"You okay with that, Kid?" She asked her son who nodded. He was starving, and hospitals made him fidgety after Emma had been shot. "You still got that money I gave you back at the gas station?" He nodded again. "Okay, you pay for your own lunch. Thanks, you guys, so much. I'll repay anything else it doesn't cover," Emma directed to Mary Margaret and David.

"It's not a problem, Emma. We're happy to help out any way we can." Mary Margaret smiled down at her and then filed out with the two children and her husband.

The sudden silence rang in their ears, and Emma moved from the floor to the seat beside the distressed mother-to-be simply for something to do. Regina reached for her hand, and she gave it freely. Regina was terrified and emotional and needed someone to hold her hand right now. Emma was that person with Belle and Ruby out of commission. She shuddered against the explosion of pain behind her eyes.

"_That wasn't talking." _

"_It said more than we ever could." _

_"Regina, please put it back on. Please, Baby, don't give up on us."_

_"I'm sorry, Emma. I'll try to fall in love with you again, but I don't believe it's possible."_

"_I believe." _

Emma pulled away violently and stood. Heels pressed into her temples, but there was no relief from the pain except space from Regina. That became the main reason she refused to answer her calls and texts. She clamped down on her anger and pain for the moment. Now was the most inopportune moment to delve into what she'd just seen when Regina's blood pressure was already off the charts high.

She decided that it would, however, be addressed in the future. Regina had destroyed her when she called off their engagement. She felt the extreme grief of her memory flash as if it'd just happened. Never again. She would never do that to her heart again. Regina had left her. She hadn't left Regina. Not only had she shattered her already fragile and skeptical heart into a thousand icy shards, she lied to her about it. There must have been a reason she blocked out this part of her life. It hurt too damn much. Maybe Henry only pretended not remember to spare her the pain. That was something he'd do. Damn it, Kid.

"Ready?" Eva asked as she reappeared with a chair as promised. The other two women nodded without speaking.

Emma clung to her anger, but the excitement at finally seeing her daughter suffocated the fire until it only smoldered. No matter how it may have happened, she was going to have another child, and that made her smile. She and Regina would simply have to learn how to deal with their issues like adults.


	14. True Happiness

Thank you for the fantastic reviews! I love love love them all so very much.

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: I'm Not an Angel by Halestorm, That's My Job by Conway Twitty, I'll Be by Reba McEntire

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><p>Emma squirmed in the plushy chair as Dr. Addison Montgomery gave Regina her undivided attention. She was very direct but sensitive and thorough. The combination of traits were rare, and it settled Emma's nerves slightly to know that Regina's doctor offered such skilled and able hands. After determining that Regina wasn't at immediate risk for premature labor, she wheeled the ultrasound machine to the side of her bed and waved Emma over. Regina reached for her hand, and Emma clasped them behind her back.<p>

"Okay, just a little discomfort, Regina. Ready?" The doctor squirted lube on the phallic-shaped object and raised her gown.

"Uhh, it goes inside now?" Emma blurted, unable to contain the uncomfortable twinge. Dr. Montgomery smirked. She'd not met Emma yet, but she'd heard plenty about her during Regina's visits and from stories of The Savior everyone seemed to have. Somehow, she escaped the first curse, but she enjoyed this much better than pretending to be a man in The Enchanted Forest simply to practice the craft of healing.

"This will give us a much better image," she explained. Emma nodded as the blood drained from her face. "If you're going to pass out, sit down."

"I'm good. I freaked out when we talked about IVF treatments, too. This is just strange." Emma explained as she squared her shoulders and focused on the monitor instead of what happened beneath Regina's gown.

"You remember that?" Regina's shocked voice pulled her gaze to her face. Emma blinked rapidly and leaned back. Holy crap. Had she actually remembered that without feeling pain?

"Uhh, yeah, I guess I do." Her shock mirrored Regina's, and they took a moment to smile shyly at each other. Emma knew she cared for Regina. That much was an absolute, but the power she held over her heart was too great, especially when she'd already left her once.

"And, here is Annabel," Addison announced happily. Emma leaned over Regina's belly and studied the screen. The picture was much clearer than Henry's ever had been.

"Hey, there you are, Squidgelette." Emma smiled, face softening with emotion.

"Can I?" She pointed towards Regina's belly, and Addison nodded.

"Try not to jostle her too much."

Emma skimmed her fingers over the very top of Annabel's watery home. She smiled a gasp when the tiny life within punched at her fingers on the monitor. The fingers moved to the side, and the babe kicked at them. Shameless tears dripped onto Regina gown. Emma's cheeks hurt when her smile attempted to grow wider than its capacity. Regina wiped at her eyes, reminding Emma of her presence. Emma met her beautiful brown eyes and smoothed a hand over her hair and left it there. Her thumb traced that emotion vein absently as her eyes returned to the monitor.

"Regina," Emma gasped and then caught her breath. "Regina, look what we did." She sniffed and sucked a ragged breath, but more tears dripped onto the gown anyway.

"Would you like to hear her heartbeat?" Dr. Montgomery asked softly, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible.

"Can I?" Emma said and turned those shining, bright green eyes to her for exactly one second. Addison smiled, stretched her hand to the machine and turned a knob.

Emma half laughed, half sobbed when the staccato rhythm of her daughter's heart filled the room. She tickled Regina's tummy again and watched her daughter move. Dr. Montgomery wiped her own tears discreetly. She'd seen some pretty emotional reactions since coming to Storybrooke, but Emma Swan's touched her the most. It was so genuine, so unconditional in it's absolute love for the tiny human inside her former partner.

"Regina," she whispered and pressed her lips to her forehead and then resumed the gentle stroking of her thumb. "Thank you. Look what you're doing!" She waved her hand at the monitor and then splayed it over her belly. Annabel punched at it.

"You're amazing," Emma whispered inches from her face. Regina's breath hitched when she thought Emma meant to kiss her. The Savior remembered her anguish the last time she loved Regina at the last second and looked at the doctor instead. Regina closed her eyes and swallowed the obvious rejection. This was temporary.

"Can you print two copies of the pictures? I'd like a set to take home with me." Emma wiped her face and pulled away from Regina.

Addison nodded, slightly disappointed that the power of their child hadn't brought them back together. Everyone in Storybrooke knew of the legendary love of The Truest Believer and The Lost Soul. They were destined to find each other eventually. They were so close. Anyone with bad eyesight could have seen that much. She snapped the pictures and allowed the two tortured women a moment to compose themselves.

"Regina, I'd like to admit you tonight. Just for precautionary observation. I think you may have had too much excitement today, but your preexisting conditions tell me to err on the side of caution." Addison explained and cleaned her equipment of the goopy lubricant.

"Sit tight for me while I call down to admissions." She patted her leg and stood.

"Please have me placed in Ruby Lucas' room. I know it's on the surgical floor, but that silly mutt started this whole mess. It's only appropriate that I adequately berate her for it." Regina joked with the doctor who smirked. The relationship between the inseparable wolf and witch was also universally known and respected.

"I'm sure they'll accommodate that request, Madame Mayor, for two of the four Heroines of Storybrooke." Addison stuck her foot in her mouth, sputtered a moment and then left the exam room quickly.

"So, there's you, Belle, and Ruby. Who's the fourth? I seriously doubt Mary Margaret has the constitution. She has the name of a nun," Emma joked, keeping the tension at bay.

"She might surprise you. Believe it or not, Belle seemed much more innocent and naïve than Mary Margaret when she first arrived in Storybrooke. Turns out, the timid librarian who gave her virginity to my best friend in the back seat of a police cruiser comes complete with a genius IQ, a photographic memory, and mastery martial arts training. She wields her swords as easily and gracefully as words." Regina chuckled as a memory passed behind her eyes.

"I swear she remembers everything that's said to her word for word as well. Brilliant woman. The most forgiving person I've ever met. She forgave me for some pretty horrific transgressions," Regina admitted the last bit bitterly. Clearly, she'd not forgiven herself. Emma ignored the tug of sympathy.

"I'm sensing a theme with you," Emma barbed hurtfully before she stopped the words. She rolled her eyes and sighed through her nose as she turned her back.

"How does someone like that end up with Ruby? I mean that in the least judgmental way possible. I think they're perfect for each other. They have that deep sort of love that infects everyone around them with the warm fuzzies." Emma fiddled with tiny fetuses and rubber gloves, anything to keep her gaze from Regina's. The witch rolled her eyes. She was so Emma that it hurt.

"Belle has the brains. Ruby provides the hint of danger she needs in order to stay interested. I suppose that is the crudest possible explanation, but there it is." Regina explained without actually explaining.

"Is that what I was for you, Madame Mayor? A hint of danger?" Emma scraped coldly and slammed a drawer. Regina gasped and grabbed her chest. Emma slumped into the chair guiltily. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Emma, what did you remember in the waiting room?" Regina's voice adopted a deep timbre, her attempt to control her emotions.

Emma barked a self-deprecating laugh and leaned forward with elbows on her knees. Green eyes slid instinctively to the finger where the ring should have been. She jerked back in surprise to find it there. Acid burned through her veins and boiled her heart in its own juices. She lunged forward and grabbed Regina's wrist with one hand and reclaimed the ring with the other.

"Emma!" Regina cried and pulled her now bare finger to her chest. She'd never seen Emma so blind with anger before, not at her anyway.

"This, Regina!" She held up the ring and then waved it around as though Regina were stupid or wasn't able to see it properly.

"You took it off. You gave it back." Emma's voice turned as cold as her heart. She swallowed the pain until she felt nothing towards the woman carrying her child.

"You told me that you didn't love me anymore, and you gave it back. You don't get to wear it like you're just waiting for me to come home from war. You. Left. _Me._" Emma's voice was an eerily calm. Regina knew exactly what she'd remembered, and it was the worst thing she'd ever done to her. She'd given up on them.

Emma hugged the ring to her chest with both hands and studied it. "It's pretty. Black diamonds."

"You had it custom made. I don't like the white ones." Regina gasped the words in between the painful clenching in her chest. It wasn't physical. It was emotional.

"Tell me, Madame Mayor, since you claim to know me so well. Why the hell would someone who has run from relationships her entire life take you back after you broke off an engagement? With or without memories." It was an honest question. Regina covered her face with both hands, hiding her tears. She had done that, but not for the reasons Emma suspected. Her love had been taken.

"You fought for me." Her hands muffled the words, but they reached Emma's ears. They made her angrier. Emma Swan never fought for people who left her, especially someone who returned a custom made ring and uttered the painful truth of no longer loving her.

"You've fucked over everyone whose ever cared about you, haven't you?" Emma stared at the sobbing mother of her child and wished she felt more than contempt. How could Regina have done that to her?

"Emma, why are you being so mean?" Regina lowered her hands and presented her splotchy, tear-streaked face.

"Because it hurts!" Emma finally yelled, the vice grip on her pain slipping. She turned her back and hung her head as tears burned the back of her throat and blurred her vision. She released a growling sigh from the back of her throat and pressed a thumb into her eye lid. Damn it.

"I should go. You have my address. Please send me Annabel's pictures. I'm glad you and Ruby are okay." Emma said without facing her and strode towards the door.

"Wait. Emma, please," Regina begged. "Please, just until they move me to Ruby's room. If you still want to leave by then, I won't ask you to stay again. Please. I don't want to be alone. I've had six miscarriages. Today's episode has made me even more frightened that Annabel will become the seventh child I'll lose. Please, Emma, just stay until I'm not alone." Regina knew she begged pathetically, but she failed to even care about her image in this moment. She truly was frightened. If Emma refused to stay after they moved her, at least she left her in the loving hands of their family. Emma sighed bodily.

"Okay." She pressed her palm into the door and leaned on it heavily. "What do you need?"

"Just sit with me. I won't ask you for anything more than that." Regina said quietly. If she were honest, she wanted Emma to hold her hand, but that wasn't an option for the moment.

Emma took a deep breath, released it slowly, took another. When she faced Regina again, she appeared much calmer, but the tightness in the skin around her eyes and the jumping muscle in her neck told Regina any aggravation might have set her off again. She was trying, so Regina dropped her gaze to her belly and silently held their unborn child. The muscle inside her ear twinged at the sudden harsh scraping on the linoleum. Her breath hitched when Emma's larger hand covered one of her own.

"I didn't know about the miscarriages. I'm sorry. I can't imagine… to want a child that badly and just… I'm sorry for tearing into you like I did, but I meant everything I said. This, us, you and me as a couple thing. It's not going to happen, Regina." Emma propped her other elbow on the edge of the bed and dropped her forehead into it. Regina licked her lips and remained silent.

"I've been looking into bond agencies in the area this past week. I found one that could use an extra hand, especially one with my advanced computer skills. It's about 20 miles from here. Springfield. I'm meeting with them next week to get the paperwork in order. They won't have an opening until the head honcho retires in a few months, but that will give me time to find a place over there, get my house in Salem on the market and talk to Henry. I'll be over everyday I'm not away for a case." Emma raised her head and fell straight into smoky brown eyes. Damn those fucking addictive eyes.

"You're moving to Maine?" Regina asked in a tone Emma wasn't quite able to identify. Shock, maybe. Mixed with a hint of a softer emotion. Love. Emma clenched her jaw.

"For Annabel. And for myself. I'd never forgive myself if I wasn't here for her as much as I am for Henry." Emma explained her reasoning clearly, and Regina believed every word.

Emma wasn't coming for her. Her gaze dropped again. The fact that they'd maintained physical contact so long without Emma's memories flashing said it all. Whatever swell of love that had developed between them had been slapped senseless and shoved into the back of Emma's heart. It was gone just like her ring.

They were saved from Emma's painful confession by two staff members knocking a moment before entering. One held admission papers and the other helped Regina into a wheel chair. The walk was silent. The nurse felt the thick tension snapping and crackling around the two women and remained blissfully quiet. Neither felt like being artificially nice or making meaningless small talk.

Belle raised her head from the back of Ruby's thigh when they entered the dim room but kept her hand wrapped around her calf. Granny stood and pointed to her chair, and Emma claimed it gratefully as the elder Lucas took over as Regina's comfort companion. Apparently, the dark energy around them was palpable and infected everyone within a ten foot radius. The pretty nurse who had taken Regina's blood pressure earlier, Lauren, entered a moment later with the necessary supplies for an IV. She must have been the surgical nurse assigned to Ruby.

"I don't want that if you're only giving me saline," Regina informed her in an overly bitchy tone. Lauren smirked, apparently familiar with the fussy mayor and completely unaffected.

"Of course. I'll make sure you have plenty of water. Ben is coming on after me, so I'll let him know as well. I do, however, need to hook you up to this." She set the needle on the table and pulled on a wheeled cart with a heart monitor and an automatic blood pressure cuff.

"It will pump up every 10 minutes or so and keep track of your blood pressure for us." She attached the cuff and then pulled the blanket up to Regina's hips before pulling her gown up over her belly. "These will monitor Annabel." she stuck some sticky pads onto Regina's belly. "And these will keep track of your heart rate." She stuck more onto Regina's chest without pulling her gown up further.

"Done." She flipped a switch on the machines and checked that they all gave out readings. "Page me if you need to go to the bathroom or at least make sure Emma or Belle helps you. You're not to be up without assistance tonight. I'm going to bring you some water. Do you need anything before I go?"

"No, thank you, Miss Danes. I'm glad you were present for today's fiasco." A smile spread on the nurse's face at the blaringly obvious compliment behind the words and she dropped her face shyly.

"You're welcome," she mumbled and dismissed herself without further comment.

"How's Ruby?" Regina asked, making clear to everyone that whatever happened between her and Emma remained off limits. Granny settled into the chair by her bed and took her hand. Belle answered without raising her head from Ruby's leg.

"She woke up enough to ask about Alex and then passed out again. Eva raised her pain medication because of her wo…" Belle stopped abruptly, rolled her eyes in Emma's direction though she wasn't able to see the other woman from her position. and cleared her throat.

"Eva raised the dosage because of her heightened metabolism. She shouldn't have been able to fight through the sedatives enough to wake." Her voice cracked, and her hand twitched around Ruby's calf. Regina finally made herself look at her friend's ruined flesh.

The wolf wore a gown, but it was completely open except the very bottom string around her hips. Her back was exposed but covered in giant patches of gauze. A strip peeped from beneath the gown on the back of the thigh Belle wasn't using as a head rest. Chances were that Ruby sprang back within a week due to her wolf's healing, but it still messed with her heart to see her friend so injured. Regina forced her eyes towards the window. She'd been helpless this morning, and Ruby paid the price as she always did when she fell short. Just like Emma.

Would they never see true happiness?


	15. Going Home

Thank you for the reviews, My Doves!

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: I See the Light by Mandy Moore and Zachery Levi, That's My Job by Conway Twitty

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><p>As far as sleepless nights go, Emma Swan had definitely been in less comfortable positions. None had never been so hollow. Her chest ached too much to cry. It'd been two weeks since she'd seen Regina, three since Ruby's accident. She'd "missed" Annabel's last two weekly appointments due to "cases" these past two weeks. She felt guilty, but Regina had a fantastic support system. Ruby apparently possessed some sort of superhuman healing abilities. No one came back that fast from the massive muscle damage like she had without some sort of magical abilities. It was amazing.<p>

She and Belle watched the pregnant woman like a hawk. They made much better companions than she. The only thing she and Regina seemed capable of since the first meltdown in Dr. Montgomery's exam room was arguing and hurting each other. It spoke to the depth of their emotions if they both used anger and childish barbs as weapons, but how were they supposed to raise a child like that. Nothing changed what Regina had done to her, and no matter how much ice cream she ate, the void in her heart refused to fill even slightly. Regina had broken her. She was broken.

She sighed and scooted gently to the edge of the bed. The nightstand by her bed held the entirety of their relationship correspondences. Emma hadn't the heart to delete her text messages, no matter how nasty, from the cell phone atop the table, and the drawer housed the poems and ring and Annabel's sonogram pictures that Regina sent every week after each missed appointment. Emma received two more poems since finding Regina but refused to open them. Her heart yearned to know their secret words that morning. The room was light enough now to read them without turning on her lamp.

Exhausted muscles protested when she propped them on her elbow, and her fingers shook as they reached for the drawer. She pulled out the ring first and slipped it onto her pointer finger as far as her knuckle. It was a good ring. She almost felt better when it touched her skin. Maybe she fooled herself. Either way, it hung against her chest before the thought to attach it to the chain there even registered in her mind.

The unopened envelopes came next, but movement on the bed behind her froze her heart. Crap. She'd forgotten that he'd stayed again last night. A hand far too large and rough slid over her bare hip, and she shivered against the touch for all the wrong reasons. What she was doing to him wasn't fair. It was the same thing Regina had done to her. She had no right to judge the other woman's actions if she behaved exactly like her.

"Hey," Jason rumbled and pressed a scratchy kiss between her shoulder blades. "I thought you'd be sleeping in after our marathon last night."

"Well, I'm up now," Emma answered, knowing exactly what he wanted.

Jason always wanted her. Beneath him. Above him. In the shower. On the floor. In the bed. Morning, noon, and night, he craved her around his cock. She wanted to puke when his hand slid between her legs. She nearly gave in when his middle finger slid inside and built a slow rhythm. Her legs spread intuitively under the stimulation. Even if it left her emptier than before, she enjoyed his touch. Regina's ring shifted against her chest, and she flipped the cover back and jumped from the bed as if she'd been caught cheating.

"I'm not in the mood. Go back to sleep." She ordered and grabbed her robe from the bathroom door, hiding the letters against her stomach before facing him. He laid back on the bed with one hand propped behind his head and watched her.

"Now, I'm up," he said sleepily. Emma rolled her eyes. "Want me to make some coffee?" He asked helpfully. Emma was always grouchy before coffee, and it made morning sex one hell of a work out.

"No, I want you to go back to sleep and give me a damn hour to myself. Can you do that?" She snapped, her voice and words harsh. Why had she begun letting him stay the night again? Oh right, if he stayed, Regina's whispers left her alone. The only nights she'd slept in the past three weeks were at his side. It's the only reason she'd called him and started this whole thing all over again.

"Geesh, Swan. Retract the claws. It's 5:08. I promise not to leave this room until 6:08. Okay?" He was amused by her grouchiness, and it pissed her off more.

She glared for a long moment and then stomped towards the kitchen. The letters slid over the smooth marble counter when she tossed them on her way to the coffee pot. Her eyes fell to them every few seconds, like a snake in the grass she wanted to keep an eye on to avoid being struck by sharp fangs. She engaged them in a staring contest until the coffee pot spurted and gurgled the last drop of water into the carafe and then approached them slowly with a freshly made cup of liquid gold.

She touched them, jerked her fingers away as though she'd been burned, sipped her coffee. No matter the contents, she knew things needed to end with Jason. It wasn't fair to him, and it wasn't fair to her, either. She used him, and it wasn't who she was, not when emotions were involved. He was a nice guy, a good cop, and he loved her. That made her a shmuck. She never should have called him again.

"I love her." She whispered into the dim, silent kitchen. Her head bowed under the truth she'd been running from since the first day she'd met Regina for the second time. It smacked her chest, right in the heart, like a sledge hammer. She breathed deeply until the clenching loosened and reached for the first envelope.

"_Emma, please come home._

_I have not had one word from her_

_Frankly I wish I were dead  
>When she left, she wept<br>a great deal; she said to me, "This parting must be  
>endured, Sappho. I go unwillingly." <em>

_I said, "Go, and be happy  
>but remember (you know<br>well) whom you leave shackled by love_

_"If you forget me, think  
>of our gifts to Aphrodite<br>and all the loveliness that we shared_

_"all the violet tiaras,  
>braided rosebuds, dill and<br>crocus twined around your young neck_

_"myrrh poured on your head  
>and on soft mats girls with<br>all that they most wished for beside them_

_"while no voices chanted  
>choruses without ours,<br>no woodlot bloomed in spring without song..._

_I'll always love you and think of our parting as temporary. Our daughter needs both of her mothers, and I'm afraid I cannot live without you and Henry. _

_Love Always,_

_Regina"_

"Sappho." Emma snorted and chuckled. "Cheeky bitch." Of course Regina finally wrote her real name below a Sappho poem.

Emma smiled and reached for the second poem. Emotions rolled over her, and she allowed them for the first time instead of fighting them. If she and Regina intended to raise a child together, she at least needed to respect the woman. She more than respected her, she reminded herself. In spite of the pain, she wanted nothing more than to kiss her, comfort her, wake up beside her. She loved her, and her breath hitched when her sleep and confusion-filled mind recognized immediately the gentle lines of the next poem. It was her favorite, and if she had loved Regina deeply enough to marry her, she undoubtedly read this to her many times. She could have recited it by heart at the drop of a hat. It was her deepest secret desire, to be loved in such a way.

Perhaps Regina had loved her that deeply, but life simply got in the way.

"_Emma, My Love, My Heart. These words only hope to convey the depth of my love for you. Each day we are parted hurts more deeply than words have the ability to express. Listen to your heart, Darling. That big, stupid, beautiful heart of The Truest Believer. You may not believe that you are the purest source of True Love this world or any other has ever seen, but you are. I'm not worthy of such light, but I want to spend the rest of my life trying. _

_How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  
>I love thee to the depth and breadth and height<br>My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight  
>For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.<br>I love thee to the level of everyday's  
>Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.<br>I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;  
>I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.<br>I love thee with a passion put to use  
>In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.<br>I love thee with a love I seemed to lose  
>With my lost saints, - I love thee with the breath,<br>Smiles, tears, of all my life! - and, if God choose,  
>I shall but love thee better after death.<em>

_Come home to me. I love you._

_Regina"_

"You saved Elizabeth Barrett Browning until you had me hooked." Emma sipped her coffee and read the words over twice. Perhaps Regina wasn't lying when she said she knew everything about her.

"I love thee with a passion put to use in my old griefs?" Had she reformed Regina in a way? Had she been the reason Regina sought redemption for past wrongs? Regina had been an enemy of both Belle and Ruby at one point. What the hell had she done to the women who now protected and loved her as much as they protected and loved each other?

"Mom?" Henry's sleepy voice startled her from her reverie. She tried to smile but failed just short of success.

"Hey Bud," she said instead and accepted his warm body against hers. How was she supposed to explain everything to him?

He rubbed her back soothingly when it quivered with tears. She clung tighter and allowed the strong and resilient and compassionate young man she raised to comfort her. He kissed her temple and pulled back when she wiped furiously at her tears, embarrassed that her 12 year old acted like more of an adult than her sometimes.

"It's okay, Mom." He tucked some tangled hair behind her ears. "I know that you're in love with Regina. That's why you've been crying and going to Maine so much, right? To be with her, not for a case." Where the hell had her little boy gone?

"How do you know that, Henry?" She asked, not ready to admit the truth to another person yet, not even her son.

"Because you smile every time you say her name or Annabel's. Even when you guys fight on the phone every night, I can tell you miss her. Maybe that's why you fight so much." He offered honestly in a way only a child had the ability.

"How would you feel about a little sister?" She asked rather than own up to her feelings for Regina. He shrugged and averted his eyes. She took his face in both hands and forced him to look at her.

"Henry, don't even think like that. You're my son. You're my heart. No one could ever replace you, and I'd never allow that to happen. I know you've seen your friends get pushed aside when their parents remarry and have more children or step-children, but I'd never let that happen to you and neither would Regina. She cares about you. She's wanted to meet you since the moment I said I had a son. You are as important to us as Annabel. Do you understand?" He nodded with now watery eyes of his own and hugged her again.

"You promise?" He asked in his scratchy preteen rasp into her hair. She chuckled and hugged him tighter.

"I promise with everything that I am. Have I ever broken a promise?" He shook his head against her shoulder. "See. And this is one I will never ever ever break." She pushed him back slightly to meet his eyes again.

"Regina is going to have a special bond with Annabel because she carried her for nine months. That's a bond that's special and unique and unbreakable, and I have that with you. Don't ever forget that. So hers may not come as easily with you, but she wants to try. Would you like to? Try, I mean?" Emma asked gently. How was it fair to uproot her kid for another kid? It was an impossible situation.

"Does that mean moving?" Emma nodded. Henry sighed and lowered his eyes. "Why another woman? I mean, I've only seen you with guys." He avoided the question with a question. God, he was so her son.

"I don't know, Baby. The heart wants what it wants." She answered vaguely. She hadn't found understanding herself, which made explaining her situation to him impossible.

"Kind of like I like Caley, but she likes girls?" He brought it to his level, related the only way he knew how. She nodded, thankful for such a brilliant and self-aware child.

"Just like that. There's no explanation, right?" He nodded and hugged her again. He pulled away, and she let him go but tracked him with her eyes as he pulled down the cereal and two bowls.

"I like Belle. She said I could come help her in the library whenever I was in Storybrooke. And working in the diner is fun." Emma shook her head and chuckled at his reasons for moving to Maine.

"You're such an odd child." She pressed her palms into her eyes. She needed to take her contacts out before they fused to her corneas. When had she last removed them?

"I blame you entirely," he quipped sardonically. She raised her head abruptly. Yep, definitely her kid.

"You have to get your awesome from somewhere, I suppose." She turned the comment back on him.

He smiled toothily and dropped a spoon into her bowl before handing her the sugary confection of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch that she allowed him on the weekends. Secretly she loved it, too. Or perhaps not so secretly.

"So, is he here?" Henry asked around a mouthful of cereal. Emma groaned and banged her forehead off the marble island. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Tell me you're not scarred for life." Emma pleaded without raising her head.

"Not scarred. Confused, maybe." He admitted honestly and took another bite. He had known since their visit to Storybrooke that his mother's heart belonged to the sensitive mayor, yet she continued dating and sleeping with Jason. She raised her head and poked at her cereal with the tip of the spoon.

"I'm only going to say this once, Henry. Your mother is an incredibly fucked up individual, and she hopes that you don't copy her vast array of mistakes." She'd never pretended to be perfect, not even for her son. Maybe that's why they had such an open and honest relationship. He felt comfortable making mistakes because she freely admitted her own.

"I know, Mom. My childhood is a piece of cake compared to yours." His tone hinted at something darker, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Henry, you're allowed to be angry about this whole situation if that's what you feel. You don't have to pretend to be okay just because I've tried to give you the childhood I always wanted." Emma's heart ached. Where had this noble little man come from? Had she truly done that all on her own?

"I'm upset about possibly moving, and you do stuff sometimes that makes no sense. It's why so many people think you're having another breakdown, but I trust you. Sometimes, I think of how nice it would be to live in a place where no one thought your mom was nuts or scary. I still get picked on about your breakdown sometimes or kids at school or on the bus ask me if you've shot anyone lately. They're just being stupid, but it still bothers me because I know that they got all that stuff from their parents, which means they talk about you." He huffed and pushed his bowl away as his stomach turned sour. Why were they so mean to his mom? She'd nearly died.

His words stabbed her in the chest, and she pushed her own bowl next to his. She hadn't felt much like eating anyway. What the hell was she supposed to say? Her life hadn't been like everyone else's in the neighborhood. She honed a skill that came naturally in order to care for her son. It was the best she had to give, and she was damn good at it.

"It's okay, Mom. Nate and Caley take up for me. They don't think you're crazy. It's mostly them I'm upset about leaving. Can we come back and visit?" He asked hopefully, and Emma nearly cried. She settled for running her fingers through his shaggy hair. He needed a cut.

"As often as possible. And you can call them whenever you want, and maybe I'll look into getting you your own laptop so you can Skype and stuff with them." Emma knew it was a bribe of sorts, but she'd already been looking at laptops for him anyway. He was a good kid. He deserved whatever she was able to give him.

"Awesome!" He piped. It was the final piece he needed to accept their new path in life.

Like her, he squirmed with too much monotony. They'd moved around most of his younger life, so he was used to it. They'd been in Salem four years, and it was the longest they'd ever stayed put. Emma scored a huge payout on a bad guy she'd been chasing and came home that night with a map. They spread it on the floor, and he closed his eyes and pointed. She bought a house for them where his finger landed, and they hadn't looked back since.

"Hey, go get dressed. I'm going to school you in the art of snowball war." Emma tapped his shoulder in excitement as she grabbed the poems and scurried towards her bedroom. There was no hesitation as he followed her lead. His mom had problems, but she was the best and most fun mom in Salem.

As the sky lightened, child after child slowly trudged outside, following the squeals of delight and yelled directives from Emma about firing and retreating. No matter what their parents thought of her, the kids adored Emma, and she was great with them. Eventually, Jason joined the fray, and she allowed it. No sense spoiling their fun for a break up fight. Some of the other parents joined or watched from stoops or gathered in clusters on the sidewalk with thermoses of coffee or tea or something stronger if that's what they preferred on a Saturday morning while Emma Swan occupied their children.

Emma dismissed herself from the game and jogged to the sidewalk when Ruby's obscene ring tone blared from her pocket. She struggled to remove the device from her soaked and frozen jeans. It stopped before she succeeded and then immediately started again.

"Hey Rubes, what's up?" Emma asked and then blew hot air into her cold and aching fingers. Her gloves had become useless ten minutes ago as the snow somehow found it's way inside during the excitement.

"You need to get here now!" Ruby yelled into the phone. A cacophony of voices in the background nearly drowned out the scared waitress.

"Emma!" Regina screamed hollowly in pain. It was distant but it may as well have been right next to the phone as loud as it was.

"Something's wrong with Annabel, Emma! Just get here!" The line went dead. She never bothered calling her back. She already knew there would have been no answer.

Emma took off in a sprint towards her house. "Henry! Car now!"

She yelled for her son without looking as she took her steps two at a time and barreled into the house for her car keys. The front door stood wide open as she leapt the five steps to her driveway and skidded to a stop beside her Camry. Jason needed to get his stuff anyway. She never even felt the jolt from the landing in the cold joints of her legs as adrenaline poured fear endorphins into her veins. Her child needed her. Regina needed her.

They were going home.


	16. How?

Thank you for the reviews, My Doves!

Warning: if you don't cry, you probably have no soul.

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Hero by Mariah Carey, Ghost Love Score by Nightwish

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><p>Regina groaned and rubbed her belly. These damn Braxton Hicks contractions were painful as hell. Had they felt the need to start at six in the morning? She glared at the clock on her nightstand and then down at her daughter. She was huge. She waddled when she walked. She hurt everywhere. She missed Emma. She had work to do. Monday started her official maternity leave from Town Hall, and Stacy agreed to come into the office in order to smooth out the finer details of the transition to make it as seamless as possible.<p>

Regina breathed through the tiny hiccups in her belly for a few more minutes and then struggled to a sitting position. If she were honest, she wanted to go back to bed and hide until she went into labor. Between the deteriorating condition of her body and Emma's acute absence, her boundaries had been tested, her strength challenged. Perhaps The Evil Queen had the constitution for such heartache, but Regina Mills, mother of Emma Swan's magical miracle baby, needed the support of her soul mate. She'd given up hope that Emma meant to return for her until her memories returned. They may never fully return.

"Hey, Mama Bear, you want some scrambled eggs?" Ruby asked as she stuck her head in the door. Regina shook her head and rubbed her belly.

"Hey, more of those fake contraction things?" The quiver in her voice belied her worry despite the light tone. She closed the door softly and knelt in front of her. Her warm hands joined Regina's in a gentle massage of swelled tummy flesh.

"Ruby," Regina whispered, and the wolf glanced up at her with soulful eyes. She raised to her full height on her knees and hugged Regina without being asked. She hadn't needed to be. She knew that tone and exactly what it meant. Regina wanted Emma because she was scared for their child.

"I don't have to be at the diner until noon. Do you want me to hang with you at Town Hall until then? I can work on Granny's books anywhere." She offered easily. Regina nodded into her shoulder as a spontaneous sob erupted.

Ruby moved to the bed without releasing her grip and turned to the side, completely wrapping Regina in her long arms and legs. Regina's tears dripped over her neck and collarbones, and Ruby swallowed her own. Regina wasn't Emma. She wasn't The Truest Believer; she was The Lost Soul. And she was letting go. These were more than tears of fear and loneliness. These tears represented Regina's desperate attempt to fit the pieces of her broken heart back together. She was letting go of her belief of Emma's return that she'd clung to since sending them back to The Enchanted Forest. They were so close, but Ruby hadn't a clue how to help her keep believing. It was up to Emma now.

"I miss her," Regina whined into her neck. Ruby kissed the side of her head. "It hurts." She gasped and clawed at her chest.

"This is my punishment. This is what I deserve. I hurt so many when I was The Evil Queen. I hurt you and Belle. I killed so many, Ruby. This is my punishment." She sobbed harder.

Ruby tightened her arms. Though she no longer believed Regina deserved to publicly beaten and executed for her crimes, she wasn't able to deny the possibility in her karmic theory. Regina paid an emotional toll for her crimes, but she'd never actually received any justified punishment. Perhaps The Lost Soul spent the rest of her life in pain from being separated from her true love over and over again because it was indeed her punishment for her transgressions. Perhaps it was the only way to save her soul from complete damnation.

"Don't leave me, Ruby. I wouldn't survive without you and Belle and Alex." Regina begged. The wolf blinked rapidly, but the tears fell anyway.

How this kind and sensitive woman had ever been manipulated into such a destructive life was beyond her understanding. Rumpelstiltskin fucked her over but good, and that stated it lightly. Ruby hadn't heard all of the details of Regina's life with him, but what little had been confided was dark and painful to hear. Regina had been brainwashed, tortured, abused, manipulated simply because her life force held the most powerful natural source of magic ever seen, at least until Emma Swan's golden heart. Now her soul and heart paid the price every time she cried.

"We're not going anywhere, Mama Bear." She hoped her voice sounded as light as she intended. "Emma will come back. It's written in stone, literally, right?" Ruby asked, only half joking.

"It's all temporary. I'll lose her again." Regina confessed, finally unable to keep that bit of the prophecy to herself any longer.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked and let her go when she straightened and wiped at her eyes.

"When The Truest Believer finds The Lost Soul, the clock resets. That much you know. I didn't tell anyone the whole truth because I thought I was strong enough to spare them that burden. Emma must go through a trial, a test of the mind before we can be reunited. You saw how close she was to losing it in Neverland and how broken she was when you threw her over the line.

"She will literally drive herself insane in the quest to keep reuniting us. If she doesn't, my soul will be lost to the darkness. If she knew, she'd eventually blame me for her pain, for constantly finding and saving me. She'd do it anyway because…" Regina waved her hand in the air and dropped it gently to her belly as emotion stole her voice.

"Because that's who Emma is. Fuck." Ruby rubbed away her tears and absorbed the new shit sandwich thrown at her.

"Perhaps she'll survive with her mind intact if she doesn't remember me any more than she already has." Regina said sadly and dropped her gaze to the floor.

Ruby had no words, nothing to counter that statement. She sucked at comfort this morning. Maybe she was tired of being shredded in the fight for Emma and Regina's love. Anger at herself and the selfish thought flared. Now that she'd experienced a smidgen of what her friends felt, she knew that she'd never stop fighting for them or their happiness. She pressed her lips to Regina's temple.

"Never stop fighting, Regina. If legendary love were simple, everyone would have it. We all thought that Snow and Charming were the be all end all of True Love. We were wrong. You and Emma? Everyone basks in the glow when you two are together. You aren't simply fighting for your love, you're fighting for True Love itself. What chance do the rest of us have if The Truest Believer and The Lost Soul can't find happiness?

"I'll be your soldier as long as you keep believing, but if you're giving up, tell me now so I can go downstairs and kiss my fiancée and daughter and play my guitar. I won't stand around and watch you wallow in self-pity, but if you're ready to be Regina Fucking Mills again, I'll help you get dressed and take you to Town Hall so you can get shit done and then focus on that beautiful baby in your belly." Ruby stood and held out her hand as she spoke. Regina knew Ruby wouldn't have left her like this, but the words still inspired her to her feet. She'd had her daily moment of weakness, and Ruby snapped her out of it. She was right. Annabel deserved her undivided attention right now with or without Emma.

"That's what I thought," she said when Regina took her hands and pulled herself to her feet.

"Thank you," Regina said with a small smile. Ruby was truly the most amazing person.

"That's what I'm here for, Mama Bear. Keep your head right." She twirled a finger around her temple, and Regina would have smacked her shoulder if she'd been within arm's reach.

"Skirt, shirt, cardigan?" Ruby asked as she moved to the closet. "Don't worry. I'll make it match. Go brush your damn teeth because you're breath is assy, woman." Ruby griped and rifled through her clothes for something suitable. She closed her eyes at the wolf's blunt tactics and shook her head. They were crude but they worked for them.

45 minutes and a on Alex and Belle's cheeks later, Regina and Ruby pulled into Town Hall. Regina groaned and pressed her forehead against the cool window. Her stomach still hurt, encouraging her to go home and back to bed or to the hospital. She took a deep breath instead. One more morning, and then this baby belonged to Stacy while she focused on her baby.

"Hey, you good?" Ruby set a gentle hand on her belly, and she forced a smile.

"I'm ready for Annabel to be here. I'll never express my gratitude to Emma for wishing this into reality, but my nerves are shot. It's getting too dangerous for her to stay in my deformed and hostile body. I fear Belle's theory correct. The less Emma and I believe in each other, the worst my condition becomes. This baby is linked to our magic, our love, our belief in each other. I only hope it is connected directly to this pregnancy and not to Annabel's lifeline. Emma and I would never come back from that." Regina confessed her fears to her best friend. She needed to tell someone since Emma was MIA.

"All the more reason for you to keep believing." Ruby's eyes softened compassionately, and they allowed the moment to linger for a moment.

"Go ahead." She tipped her chin towards the front doors. "I'm sure Stacy's waiting. I'll bring your briefcase." Regina nodded, squeezed her hand, and braved the sharp cold air of the Maine winter. She worried very little about falling at Town Hall. Her maintenance crew kept it spic and span and free of even one solitary snowflake since returning. They were amazing.

Ruby watched her waddle for a moment and then reached into the back for her bags. When she glanced up again, Regina was on her knees. Blood dripped down her thighs. An anguished wail reached her ears. Ruby sprinted and untied her cape at the same time. It flew free from her shoulders two seconds before she reached Regina. Despite her heightened speed and adrenaline. Everything happened in slow motion. Her wolf flared in fear.

"Regina!" Stacy called from the door without a coat or any winter gear. She must have watched her fall from the upstairs window and rushed down.

"Stacy, call the hospital. Tell them what happened and have Addison and Eva ready when we get there!" Ruby ordered as she slipped her arm around Regina's shoulders.

"Regina, I know it hurts." Ruby said when Regina cried out at the slightest movement from her. "You have to let me carry you, Baby. We gotta get you to the hospital." Ruby explained, gritted her teeth and picked Regina up beneath her shoulders and knees. Her back screamed in protest as loudly as Regina's tortured wail of pain.

She tore out of the parking lot with a screech, two shaking hands on the wheel. She wanted to hold Regina's hand but was entirely too flustered and terrified to break her focus on the road at the moment. Regina cried into the window and tried to curl into a ball. Ruby grimaced. Regina was generally relatively poised in the face of pain. It must have been excruciating.

"Emma!" Regina cried, and Ruby ground her teeth harder.

"I'll call her when we get to the hospital," Ruby said calmly. Inside, her heart pounded and adrenaline raced and vision blurred with tears and the heady rush of oxygen and endorphins to her brain. Ruby felt something she hadn't felt in a very long time. She was genuinely, out-of-her-mind terrified. She hadn't felt this way since discovering she was the wolf attacking her village and had killed Peter.

Stacy must have lit their asses with kerosene and a match because a team of hospital staff rushed towards the car the second it turned into the parking lot. Eva was among them but not Addison. She must have been at home. Ruby screeched to a stop a few feet from them and rounded the car before the gurney reached it. Another car pulled in behind her, and Lauren sprinted from it. She must have been off today or just coming on shift. Either way, she wasn't dressed in scrubs. Ruby hefted Regina onto the gurney. Everything was so surreal, so incredibly like a dream. Perhaps Ruby was dreaming.

"Lauren!" Zambrano called as she pulled herself onto the bed and immediately started cutting away clothes.

"I'm here," the nurse answered and jumped onto the side of the gurney while it was moving. She pulled Eva's stethoscope from her pocket and listened to Regina's chest as she rode the bed gracefully. She and Eva made an impressive team.

"Pulse is weak but lungs are clear," she informed the doctor who nodded.

"Okay people, let's get to an OR. Someone get Montgomery here now! Regina Mills will not lose her child on our watch!" Eva rallied her team, and everyone nearly stumbled at the words they heard next.

"What about the children she killed?" A voice mumbled from the back of the gurney.

No one stopped moving, but everyone stared. Lauren reacted first in a completely unpredictable way for her calm and docile nature. The gurney halted just inside the doors when her elbow slammed into the man's nose with a thud and a crack.

"Do not speculate upon things about which you know absolutely nothing, you ignorant fool. You would have been driven to murder under Rumpelstiltskin's abuse, too." She seethed as she jumped from the gurney and pushed him violently. He fell backwards, not having expected the push after the blow to his face, and she took his spot at Regina's head. They moved again.

"Eva," she said dismally, and the doctor nodded.

"I know. There isn't time to scrub. Someone get me some sanitizer!" She braced herself against the bed. "I'm sorry, Regina. This is going to hurt more than it already does." Regina wailed again when Eva's entire hand slid inside of her.

"Emma!" Her broken sob tore at everyone's heart. Emma was hours away.

Ruby punched at her phone, growled in frustration when Emma's rang several times and then went to voicemail. She dialed again.

"Hey Rubes, what's up?" Emma asked as her greeting. She sounded concerned but not worried. She was about to destroy that.

"You need to get here now!" Ruby yelled into the phone. Addison yelled for an update as she joined the crew at Regina's bed.

"Emma!" Regina screamed hollowly in pain. The added pressure of Zambrano's hand was too much.

"Something's wrong with Annabel, Emma! Just get here!" Ruby yelled and hung up. The panic in her voice was enough to inspire even Regina's enemies to action. Emma would come.

"Antepartum hemorrhage caused by placental abruption and rupture," Zambrano barked at Addison. Ruby floundered. They neared the doors to the operating rooms. Once at them, they kicked her away from Regina's hand.

"What does that mean?" Ruby yelled at them, but no one answered the question. Lauren took pity on the wolf when she stopped her at the doors.

"Ruby, ask Belle for a better explanation, but basically, it means that the placenta detached from the uterus. I'm not a doctor, but given the amount of bleeding, it probably blocked her cervix and tore while Annabel was turning into birthing position. There's nothing anyone could have done to prevent this. Just focus on the fact that you get to meet your niece today and stay calm. We'll know more soon." She squeezed her shoulder and then sprinted after her team. Her coat, scarf and hat trailed the floor behind her as she stripped until nothing but her jeans and t-shirt remained.

She knew the young nurse attempted to ease her mind, but if the surgeons weren't taking the time to properly clean their hands with anything more than hand sanitizer, Regina's condition was far more serious than Lauren just said. Ruby stared at her hands. They were covered in Regina's blood, again. Annabel's birthday was supposed to be a happy day. She trained so hard to be Regina's midwife. Her hands were supposed to be the first Annabel ever felt.

The buzz of her phone snapped her back to reality. It was a text from Emma. "_Mom and I are on our way. How's Regina?"_ Emma clearly had jumped immediately into her car and had her son text for information. She wasn't sure what to tell them.

"_She just went into surgery. Not 100% sure what happened. They think it's a placental tear. Text more when I know more." _Would the boy even understand what that meant? She ignored the answering text and called Belle. How was she supposed to properly inform Emma when she hadn't been properly informed herself. If she spoke truthfully, that responsibility presented too heavy a weight for her to carry in that moment. Her heart had reached its limit, and she wanted Belle before she exploded.

The librarian soothed her minimally with a calm demeanor despite the terrifying update on Regina's condition. Belle handled crises much better than anyone else. It made sense. She led with her brain while the rest followed their hearts. While it made her cold and calculated in battle, the tempered head provided a much needed anchor for their entire group in times of severe emotional crisis.

Ruby slumped against the wall and then slid down slowly until the floor held all of her weight. Her cell phone clattered to the floor between her legs as she propped her elbows on her knees and held her head. That's how her family found her when they arrived only minutes later. Belle passed her daughter to David and squatted in front of her semi-catatonic lover.

"Wolf!" Alex squirmed and reached for the broken woman. She was too little to understand what had happened, but she sensed intuitively that her other mother needed comfort.

"Alex, not now, Baby. Go with David and Snow and Granny and sit in the waiting room," Belle ordered her daughter as well as the other three adults gawking awkwardly at a very broken Ruby. They obeyed and disappeared into the room ten feet down the hall.

"Ruby? Sweetheart?" Belle touched her forearms lightly. Ruby loved too deeply, and it brought her to her knees more often than not.

"Ante… hemorrhage. Placental abrupt… no, that's not right. A rupture. Lauren said it was a rupture." Ruby babbled nonsensically, but Belle understood.

"Antepartum hemorrhage caused by a placental abruption and rupture." The brainiac finished for her. She'd read extensively about Regina's condition in the event the knowledge ever became needed. It was serious, especially to Regina this far into the pregnancy. Annabel, luckily, had reached the age of being born safely if the fluid, blood, or cord hadn't choked her. Belle shuddered and blocked out the images. That wasn't something Ruby benefited from hearing at the moment, nor anyone else in their family.

"Darling, you have blood on you. Let's go clean it off before Alex sees you like this." Ruby nodded and finally raised her head. She glanced around, confused, not quite remembering how she'd came to be in this particular hallway or on the floor. Belle snagged her phone with one hand and pulled her to her feet with the other.

When they reached the bathroom, Ruby leaned against the sink quietly as Belle dabbed at the dried blood with a wet paper towel. She worked in silence, knowing Ruby's mind and heart just suffered a paralyzing shock. Useless babble usurped what little strength she maintained in order to cling to reality. Once cleaned as well as possible, Belle took her hand and guided her back to the waiting room.

Stacy and Archie had joined their group and handed Ruby her cloak. The wolf accepted wordlessly and spread it over her like a blanket when she sat, covering the blood on her clothes. Alex climbed into her lap and clung to her, and she held the girl tightly, inadvertently receiving comfort as she gave it. The minutes ticked by in silence.

An hour into the ordeal, the door opened. It was Lauren. Ruby finally glanced up from the spot on the wall that had long ago blurred into nothing and blinked slowly. The nurse looked exhausted, which could have been positive or negative news. Breaths caught in throats in anticipation. Ruby squeezed Alex tighter.

"Annabel's alive but critical. We took her Caesarian." A breath of relief sighed around the room. "She's getting a full work up in the NICU right now. Brain and body scans as well. Her lungs and heart appear to be functioning properly without assistance for now, but the biggest concern is potential oxygen loss in the womb."

"Regina?" Belle asked, needing to know completely what she dealt with in order to comfort her family properly.

"There was a lot more damage than Eva originally anticipated. Her, umm, issues with Emma evidently directly effected her magical pregnancy. The stage of her condition should have taken months to develop, but there was no sign of it during her visit last week with Dr. Montgomery. Eva and Addi are working on her right now. I can't say much more on her condition they are doing a full hysterectomy so they can find the torn tissue easier. I'm sorry I don't have more or something better to tell you." The nurse looked ready to burst into tears herself, but she took a steadying breath and pulled her mind together.

"If there are no questions, I need to get back. Eva doesn't like me to stray far during surgery because of… well, you know." Indeed, they knew. If Eva flashed during surgery, Lauren absorbed the pain. No one quite understood her connection with the soul-seer, just like Captain's, but they knew her presence lessened the pain and shock of seeing other's memories and feeling what was inside their heart. Regina had a hell of a lot of grief and pain in hers right now.

"Of course, go take care of your surgeon, Lauren. Thank you." Belle said graciously and with far more confidence than she felt.

Everyone wanted to be happy about Annabel's survival chances, but dread built in their guts. Lauren hadn't said it, but the possibility of Regina's death had been implied and remained a very real possibility. Ruby accepted Belle's weight against her chest and wrapped her arms around her family. She knew Belle actually comforted her despite being held, and she loved her even more for it.

"I love you," she whispered into frizzy brown hair and then kissed Alex's head. "I love you, Alex." The girl gave her a wet, sloppy kiss against her mouth and hugged her around the neck tightly.

"Love you, Wolf." Ruby cried silently into her daughter's hair. Time ticked by slowly.

An hour and a half later, Emma and Henry barreled into the small waiting room, scaring the hell out of everyone. She breathed heavily with emotion or her mad sprint into the hospital, she herself wasn't certain.

"Any word?" She glanced around.

"How the hell did you get here so fast?" Ruby blurted. It was the first words she'd spoken aside from 'I love you.' since Belle scraped her off the floor.

"I got two speeding tickets and a state police escort up the interstate when they finally called the hospital to confirm my story. Thank god the north is gay-friendly. Now how the hell is my child?" Emma sniped impatiently. Henry wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned against her shoulder.

"They delivered Annabel C-section. She's in the NICU getting more tests. She seems fine, but they're checking her brain function just in case she suffered from oxygen depletion. Regina is still in surgery. They did a full hysterectomy. It's bad, Emma. She lost a lot of blood. There was a lot of damage." Belle offered without leaving Ruby's chest. Emma needed to hear and deal with the information without their support. She needed to fear for Regina's safety and feel their love. Fear and love and rage activated her magical heart, and they needed a bloody miracle right now. Everyone else jumped on Belle's train of thought and remained seated or glued to the wall, even Snow who squirmed to comfort her daughter.

"How the hell did this happen?" Emma pulled away from her son, crossed her arms over her chest and turned her back on the group to stare out the door.

"Because you're a dumb ass," Ruby stated coldly and handed her daughter to her other mother.

"Excuse me?" Emma whirled around. Why the hell was she being attacked?

"Ruby, now is not…"

"Yes, Belle, now is the only time we have left. We tried coddling her, and Regina might die because of it. She needs to know the fucking truth." Ruby stood and dropped her cloak. Transforming without the full moon or nighttime hurt like a bitch, but it was the only thing that might have made Emma believe except Belle's magic.

Her scream turned into a snarl as claws extended on her fingers and fur sprang onto her cheeks. She held the half transformation for a few seconds and then released it, returning to human form. Emma stared with wide, terrified eyes that might have been comical were Regina not currently in a life or death situation.

"You're under a curse, Emma. That's why you can't remember. I'm a bloody werewolf. Belle's a witch. Regina's a sorceress. David and Mary Margaret are Snow White and Prince Charming. They're your parents. And I am Red Motherfucking Riding Hood. You, Emma Swan, are The Savior and The Truest Believer, and if you don't start fucking believing soon, I am going to kick your ass up one wall and down the other until you do." Ruby's chest heaved. Emma stared. What the actual fuck just happened?

Her mouth worked up and down a few times, but no sound came out. Ruby actually was a werewolf and not just obsessed with them? She'd seen it with her own eyes. The two surgeons and loyal nurse chose that moment to arrive. Tears trekked all of their faces. Zambrano shook her head and reached for Lauren's hand.

"No," Emma whispered.

"I'm sorry, Emma. She just lost too much blood. I…" Addison choked up.

"Regina died," Eva finished succinctly, presenting the harsh truth to everyone.

"NO!" Ruby yelled. Emma flew into the hallway under the force Ruby's fist. Pain exploded in her jaw. The wolf pounced. Her back slammed into the wall as Ruby pulled her up with fists in her shirt. The fabric stretched and groaned under the pressure.

"Ruby stop!" Belle ordered and grabbed her lover's forearm.

"No, she did this! Fix it! You fix it, Emma!" Ruby's forehead dropped to Emma's chest as her anger gave way to strangled sobs. "Fix it," she begged and dropped to her knees, fists still wrapped in her shirt. Not one cheek in view of Ruby's breakdown was dry.

"Fix her," she begged again and hit Emma's chest weakly with her fists as she buried her face into her stomach.

"I can't, Ruby. She's gone," Emma said around her own tears and thumped her head against the wall.

"Eva, take Emma to Regina," Belle said suddenly. "Just trust me," she added as an afterthought. Gently she pried her partner loose from the sobbing savior. Ruby fell into her arms and sobbed in the middle of the hallway.

"Belle?" Emma questioned her insane request. She had no desire to see the woman she loved cut open and cooling on a surgical table.

"For the love of god, Emma, just believe and follow your heart. It's the only option left." Belle grouched around her own tears and then buried her face in Ruby's hair.

The three medical personnel guided Emma through the doors. Storybrooke was an odd place. No way in hell she moved here with Henry. Addison and Lauren dropped back when they reached the right door, and Zambrano led her inside. Emma froze just inside, unable to step any further towards Regina's body covered in bloody towels and tubes and wires.

"Can you?" Emma pointed at her throat, and Eva nodded. Emma closed her eyes and wished she covered her ears as the doctor pulled the tube from Regina's mouth with a slurping, suctioning sound. It was a sound that meant to haunt her dreams that night and many more to come.

"What am I supposed to do? Do they realize how insane they are? She's dead." Emma grated harshly and turned her entire head from the sight of the doctor wiping Regina's mouth. Eva said nothing. She hadn't a clue what Belle expected. Dead was dead, and there was no bringing them back.

Emma took a steadying breath and forced herself to look at Regina's face. She still looked like Regina, a sleeping Regina. Tears burned her throat. She wasn't sleeping, Emma reminded herself. Shaking legs brought her closer until her hands might have touched the corpse if she wished. Without thinking, she broke the chain around her neck, and it clattered to the floor. The sound seemed much louder than it actually was. Her chin quivered as she reached for Regina's hand.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and slid the ring onto the finger it never should have left. "I'm so sorry." She sobbed but refused to look away from Regina's unexpressive face. Quaking fingers pushed the surgical cap from her dark hair and smoothed it, arranging it around her cheeks as it should have been. She was still so warm, so life like.

"I love you, Regina." Emma leaned forward before she thought too much about touching a corpse. Regina's lips, like everything else, was warm when she pressed a chaste kiss to it.

A blue glow emanated from her chest and fingertips and flashed outwards. It smacked Zambrano in the chest, and she gasped as a flood of memories slammed into her. Emma grabbed her head as everything came rushing came at once. She had saved Regina when she'd been shot. Regina was her true love. She and Regina bought the house in Salem together. Neverland. Regina's lost love. Their magical baby. The curse that took her memories. Ruby tossing her over the line in order to save her life. The pain. So much pain she'd never worked through before she lost her memories. She grabbed at her chest, suffocated under the reality of her life. Regina. Regina died only minutes ago. She was too late. She'd lost her.

Regina gasped. Zambrano leapt towards them and pressed her fingers into Regina's neck.

"How the… Addison! Lauren! Emma, hold her down. I need to sedate her. She's still open. We never closed the incisions or finished the surgery. We need to get her back under before we lose her again." Zambrano ordered the dazed savior.

Emma obeyed somehow and pressed her hands into Regina's shoulders. She hadn't opened her eyes yet, but her chest moved with the breath of life. She was alive. She'd brought her back.

How?


	17. Questions

Thank you kindly for the reviews, Folks! I love receiving them.

Enjoy!

Songs: Can't Fall Down by Natasha Bedingfield, Please Forgive Me by Bryan Adams

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><p>A team swarmed the operating room. Apparently, Emma broke the curse, and everyone assumed Regina Mills survived. A fresh needle found her arm. Blood was hung. Tubes and wires were inserted and attached. Addison and Eva worked frantically at the incisions. Emma tried not to look, but it was very much a train wreck and she rubbernecked every time.<p>

"Get her out of here!" Eva ordered. A nurse touched her shoulder, and she slapped the hands away violently.

"No." She stated calmly. "I won't leave her again." She and Zambrano locked gazes in a struggle of wills.

"Emma, you brought her back. Go reunite with your family and let me and Dr. Montgomery finish saving her life. She's going to make it. I can't believe how strong her vitals are. You got your miracle. Now let me ensure it doesn't go to hell." The doctor had always been direct when challenged. She had managed to keep her ass glued to a hospital bed for weeks when she'd been shot.

Emma nodded and reluctantly released Regina's hand. How the hell was she supposed to feel right now? She stumbled into the hall and used the wall for support as she found her way back to the waiting room. Her parents and Belle and Ruby and Archie and Stacy looked at her expectantly when she pushed numbly through the doors. She wasn't ready for them. They parted and allowed her passage into the waiting room. Perhaps she hadn't brought Regina back. Had they just made everything worst by making her remember and forcing her to live without Regina?

Henry stared blankly at the floor. Granny rubbed his shoulders with one hand and held Alex in her lap with the other. At least someone had thought of her son. His haunted eyes raised to hers, and her face fell. She felt his pain. She never figured out exactly what he'd seen while under Belle's protection but it carved a deep and dark pit into his soul. Hers reflected that grief.

"Mom's going to be okay," she said as she dropped to her knees in front of her son. They collapsed into each other. That happy, bright-eyed boy from only a few hours ago was gone. When she'd broken the curse and returned their memories, she rained a shit storm of death and violence upon her young son. He had been better off with amnesia. Everyone stayed back from mother and son. It was enough to know Regina had come back.

"I'm going to get you help, Henry. I'm going to help you through this." She comforted her son the only way she knew how. Everyone else had nearly a year to deal with what happened during Pan's reign of terror in Storybrooke. They hadn't. Emma only now remembered what happened to her in Neverland as though it happened yesterday.

"Mom, do you still mean what you said this morning?" He asked numbly into her hair. She pulled back and took his face in both hands.

"Every single word, Baby. Let me show you." She took his hand beneath hers and pressed it to her chest.

"Did you know that you can feel what someone feels for you when you touch their heart?" He shook his head. Emma offered a pained smile and pressed their hands into her chest. "There. That. That's my heart." She guided her son to her love organ.

He gasped and tears immediately spilled onto his cheeks. His beautiful brown eyes glanced at her chest and then met hers again. She knew the power of what he felt, and it was exactly what he'd needed in that moment. Her hand pulled free, leaving his to remain as long as he wished.

"You can leave it there, Baby. As long as you need." Emma assured him as she wrapped her arms around his broadening shoulders.

"I love you, too, Mom," he stuttered around his tears, and Emma finally released hers into his shoulder. How to help him left her fumbling and clueless, but she gave him this one moment of peace.

"You're still my world, Henry," Emma assured him. "We'll get through this together." He nodded, actually believing her for the first time. How could he not with her overwhelming love for him coursing through his heart and soul?

"You cheated on Mom," he blurted. His cheeks burned in embarrassment. It hadn't been Emma's fault. She hadn't remembered.

"I did. I didn't know. She'll forgive me, Henry. Don't worry about that right now." Emma shuddered. Just this morning someone else's fingers had been between her legs. She hadn't had sex with him when Regina's ring reminded her of her heart's desire, but so many nights that reminder hadn't been there.

"How do you know?" He asked. He was scared that he'd lose the little stability he had left, and she tried to be patient.

"Because that's what we do, Henry. Your mom and I are solid. How are you feeling? Better?" She waved at his hand in her chest, distracting him from the line of questioning. He nodded and pulled out with a shudder. The pain rushed back to his face, but it wasn't as harsh as before. Every little bit helped.

"Want to go see your sister?" He nodded and took her hand as he stood and pulled her from the floor. He was getting so tall and strong, inside and out.

"Will you come with us, Belle?" He asked timidly, afraid of her rejection. She hugged him, surprised to find him as tall as she was, and then took his other hand. Silly boy.

"We'll all come if that's alright. Regina will be a while yet." Granny finally spoke from behind the crowd of younger people. Ruby relieved her grandmother of Alex's weight, hefting her to one hip and wrapping her other arm around the shoulders of the woman who raised her.

Half way to the NICU, Ruby finally addressed her behavior. "Sorry I hit you." She mumbled. She wasn't actually sorry, but she figured that she owed Emma an apology anyway.

"No you're not." Emma smirked. "I kind of deserved that one anyway. I didn't know you could change without the full moon." Forgiveness came easily. Her jaw ached and already tightened with a bruise, but someone needed to smack her around for her behavior as of late.

"Hurts like a mother, but it's possible with enough control." Ruby shrugged. Snow grabbed her daughter's hand.

"No one blames you, Emma. You came home. That's what's important. You're amazing." Snow blubbered at her daughter, and Emma actually smiled. They had a complicated relationship, but she was still her mother and she loved her.

"Thanks, Mom. I can't exactly say that I'm happy to be back 100 percent. You guys have had months to deal. Neverland feels like yesterday to me." Emma explained her situation while trying not to think about it. She'd gone so close to the brink in that godforsaken place. There was no plausible explanation why she hadn't lost her mind except for the fact that she had a mission, which was bringing back Regina's love and returning home.

"We'll help you through it, Emma," Snow said and touched her hair, mirroring Emma's word to her son minutes ago. A mother was a mother was a mother.

"Oh wow, lots of people. Okay." A bouncy blonde stopped them at the desk, clearly unnerved by the huge crowd of people in her territory.

"I'm Emma Swan. I would like to know what my daughter's test results showed and I'd like to see her." The woman glanced from Emma to Belle who nodded her approval of the situation.

"Sorry, I've just never met you before. I'm Dr. Arizona Robbins. I was the pediatric surgeon consulted for Annabel's case. May I speak freely?" The woman spurted, and Emma recoiled slightly from the exuberant energy.

"Uhh, yeah. You'll explain it better than me anyway." Emma twitched, anxious to see her daughter.

"Okay. It's all good news so far. Annabel is breathing on her own. All organs seemed to be fully developed and functioning properly. She's a very lucky little girl. Also, her brain scans show no signs of inactivity. We'll monitor her closely for any sort of brain death in the next few weeks, of course, but right now, she's five pounds, four ounces and 17 inches of perfectly healthy baby girl. I feel confident saying that I believe she will remain so." Emma liked the doctor. The deep care she felt for her patients shone in the way she spoke of them.

"Can I hold her?" Emma might have barged into the nursery anyway even if she said no.

"For a minute. She's had a rather exciting day. If she continues improving, we'll move her to Mayor Mills' room either tomorrow or the next day."

"Thank you, Arizona." Belle said and touched the woman's arm in warm kinship.

"You two know each other?" Emma blurted and then kicked herself for the outburst.

"Arizona pulled me from a car with a bomb strapped to it. Lost her leg in the process." Belle explained their relationship with a grateful smile. She'd saved her life that day. Henry's, too.

The now embarrassed doctor smiled, presenting cute dimples that made Emma want to pinch her cheeks or kiss her. She'd done enough of that lately. She settled for following her to the NICU nursery and donning all the appropriate gear in order to make physical contact with her daughter. A squirt of hand sanitizer and one paper cap and gown later, Emma stood over a tiny little thing with a shock of dark hair.

"Hey there, Squidgelette." She whispered and brushed her fingers through silky black hair. Regina's hair, just like she'd imagined when they created her on Hook's ship in Neverland. She was so little. Henry had been much bigger.

She lost herself in the moment when that tiny weight felt like nothing at all in her arms. Tears dripped shamelessly onto her cheeks, and she dropped a light kiss onto Annabel's head above her eye.

"Hey, you want to meet your big brother?" Emma danced gently towards the window where seven faces pressed eagerly. They all smiled at Emma. If she thought she looked natural with a gun, she should have seen herself with a baby.

"This is Henry. He's your big brother. He's going to scare off all the boys so Mama Emma doesn't have to. And this is your grandpa and grandma. I know they're the same age as me, but don't let that fool ya. They've seen some shit. And that's Archie and Stacy. They're very very good friends, and I'm sure they will baby sit you every week. And this is Granny. She a rotten, cantankerous huff of a woman, but don't let that turn you off her, okay. She's as sweet as her apple pie on the inside. And that little girl in her arms is Alexandra. Don't tell anyone, but you're actually her baby. She's going to be like your big sister."

"Hi Annabel!" Alex said excitedly and pressed her hands into the glass. Emma smiled and kissed her daughter again.

"And these two beautiful women are your aunts. This is Aunt Belle. She's going to make me wear a dress, but she's still a good person. She's a brilliant librarian and knows everything. She's going to help you with your book reports when you get older. How does that sound? Hmm?" Emma took a moment to hold Belle's gaze before turning it to Ruby's shining eyes.

"And that crazy lady who gave your mama this shiner? That's your Aunt Ruby. She's where you got your name. You know that, Annabel Ruby Swan? Because no matter how pigheaded your mommies are being, she never lets us give up on each other."

"You gave her my name?" Ruby asked through the glass and pressed both hands into it, her ache to touch the infant obvious.

"Regina didn't tell you?" Ruby shook her head, too emotional to say more. Emma held Annabel as close to one of Ruby's hands as possible and covered the other that cold cocked her earlier with hers. Ruby was their rock, their own personal body guard, superhero, best friend extraordinaire. She deserved to be in here as much if not more than Emma. She and Belle were the ones who had seen her through the pregnancy.

"Your mommies had to give you the initials that sounded like arse. We're in trouble if you take after them, even a little bit. You best stick with me, Wolflette." Ruby teased rather than deal with and display the deeper, softer emotions beyond her initial outburst.

"Ruby Lucas, wolflette sounds like something you eat during the full moon." Belle berated her lover lightheartedly.

"I am going to eat her! Look at those cheeks! I could nom those all day long!" Ruby jabbed her finger into the glass, emphasizing her excitement. The group chuckled at her expense, but those huge, shimmering brown eyes only had enough room for Annabel. The nurse at the desk, however, caught Belle's attention. The librarian nodded and then turned back to the glass.

"Regina's out of surgery. They're moving her to a room now. Eva and Addison are waiting to speak with you," Belle said through the glass. Emma nodded sadly. She could have held Annabel all day.

"Squidgelette, I gotta go. I'll be back soon. Say bye to everyone." Emma waved her tiny hand with hers. Ruby nearly had a conniption at the cuteness. Alex waved enthusiastically as did everyone else, though the infant slumbered peacefully. She deposited her with extra tenderness, kissed her forehead, turned to leave, stopped, kissed her again.

"I love you," she whispered against the soft scalp and fine hair.

As promised, Eva and Addison and Lauren hovered near a room on the surgical floor, an area they all knew far too well. Archie and Stacy excused themselves, and Snow and David chose to stay in the NICU and fawn over their new grandchild/sister in Snow's case, which meant that Emma's daughter was also her aunt and Regina's great-granddaughter. Their family tree was so profoundly screwed up. That aside, only Henry, Ruby, Belle and Alex accompanied her to speak with the doctors.

"Henry, take Alex in the room and be quiet." Emma ordered. The boy obeyed.

"Oh, it's okay. She wouldn't hear a bomb go off at the foot of her bed." Lauren said goofily. Either surgery made her hot or she was incredibly happy that Regina survived… or perhaps it had something to do with Eva's hand on her hip? What the hell was happening in her town? Was lesbianism in the freaking water in Storybrooke? Was it the magic? Emma scrubbed her face with both hands. Focus, she reminded herself. Eva needed Lauren's comfort after surgery. That's probably all it was… because she held Belle and Ruby's hips all the time, right? Swan! She blamed the baby giggles she'd gotten while visiting Annabel.

"How is she, Doc?" She asked, hoping her inner monologue hadn't been made obvious in her expressions or tone.

"She's stable," Addison offered. "I've never… whatever you did was remarkable, Ms. Swan. She came through without any further complications. We only made a few minor repairs and then closed. I'm sorry to say that we did perform a full hysterectomy, but we were able to repair all the damage and save her ovaries." Emma held up a hand and took a deep breath.

"What does that mean? I thought a hysterectomy was taking out the ovaries." She clarified for her own sanity. Regina would have questions when she woke, and Emma wanted to answer them. She hadn't been here in the past few weeks, but she was here now.

Dr. Montgomery took the interruption in patient stride. "It means that she'll never be able to have another child or any more periods. Hysterectomies can include the removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes, but they immediately cause the woman to experience menopause, so we try and avoid that if we can. Since we saved them, she'll continue producing hormones normally and gradually grow into menopause as a regular healthy female. Her Endometriosis was quite advanced. Sex should be significantly less painful, and I think she'll experience far less back and pelvic pain."

Emma hadn't the heart to tell her that Regina liked the pain. Or perhaps she'd only grown immune because of her condition. She'd never said anything about it constantly hurting before, but Regina rarely discussed such things with her outside of the heat of the moment. She'd only just been comfortable enough to start exploring new things when Pan flung the last shit storm at them. Had that truly been eight months ago?

"Emma?" Belle shook her shoulder and stared up at her in concern.

"What?" Shit, she zoned out. Her mind refused to focus today. It was probably the excitement, but she'd suffered a lot of emotional trauma in Neverland and the weeks leading up to it. Was it possible that she needed to admit herself for an evaluation? No, that was silly. She wasn't nuts. She was right here.

"You spaced," Ruby said with narrowed eyes. "And by spaced, I mean that Belle said your name three times before you responded. You good?" Emma hooked her thumbs in her back pockets and nodded, but they all recognized her trademark nervous tick.

"I'm good," she said in a scratchy voice, which she cleared before continuing. "Will Regina wake up any time soon? I'd like to see her." She changed the subject to her wounded partner. That was the reason they all stood there.

"She may have brief moments of lucidity, but she's on a hefty dose of morphine on an automatic drip. I debated sedating her completely or inducing a coma, but it wasn't necessarily warranted. You brought someone back from the dead, Emma. Heart and brain activity had stopped. The last time someone did that, he nearly died at the hands of the person he resurrected. Regina's brain function seems normal, which is what those pads on her scalp are monitoring. I'll keep close watch on the readings and consult with our neurologist. As I said, everything looks normal now, but I'd rather be proactive than lose my arm like Dr. Whale." Dr. Zambrano explained the situation, straight forward as ever. They hadn't even considered the possibility that Regina wasn't Regina anymore.

Emma jerked trembling fingers through her tangled hair. Why did everything have to be so messed up all the time? They just wanted to raise their children and be happy and in love. The world refused to leave them alone. For what? For power or vengeance or ambition or immortality. Fuck them all.

"Doc, can we wake her up? I know she'll be in a lot of pain, but I need to know. My son and niece are sitting in there with her right now. I won't give them false hope or put them in danger needlessly." Emma clamped down on her emotions. Belle touched her shoulder again, and Emma shrugged away her comfort. If she accepted any type of compassion right now, her constitution for what needed done dissolved into the puddle of tears she desperately needed to shed.

"I thought you might ask. I was waiting for Belle and Ruby. They're the only two who might stand a chance against her." Eva and Emma glanced at the other two women. They nodded, steeling themselves for the task at hand.

"Lauren, will you stay with the kids?" The nurse smiled up at her surgeon, but worry etched into her face.

"Are you staying in the room?" She answered her question with a question, and Eva nodded.

"Eva, I can administer the medication. There's no need for you to be there. I have no one waiting for me at home." Addison offered herself as replacement, but Eva shook her head.

"I need you focused on Annabel. You'll be far more helpful than I if her status nosedives. I trust Belle and Ruby to do what needs to be done. I'll be perfectly safe." She assured the two concerned members of her surgical team. Lauren opened her mouth to speak, but Eva covered it with her whole hand. "You're not going to be the one. I'm useless as a surgeon without you, but you're still the best nurse we have without me. Please stay with Henry and Alex."

Lauren nodded and hugged Eva. The tortured surgeon surprised them all when she wrapped her arms protectively, almost possessively, around the much younger woman and pressed her lips to her hair just above her ear. The sight of Zambrano willingly touching someone was weird enough, but to see her express such tenderness and care shocked them. She truly was a deeply compassionate woman. What a burdened and lonely existence to desire physical contact so desperately and constantly deny it to yourself because it only caused pain. They must have discovered once returning to Storybrooke that Lauren's touch eased that anguish.

Lauren pulled away quickly and gathered Henry and Alex from the room. Emma kissed her son, and her friends kissed their daughter. They said nothing as they closed themselves in the room, locked the door, and set up their positions. Ruby stripped her cloak and held Regina's shoulders gently, ready to restrain her into the bed if needed. The first line of defense as always. Eva moved the IV pole as far from the bed as possible as Emma took up position on the other side. Belle stood at the foot and pulled on the earth's natural energy.

They waited until she nodded before Eva stopped the flow of medication. Regina was going to be in massive amounts of pain, but this needed to be done. Emma prayed she understood after recovering.

"Belle, if she's still Regina, can you cast a spell to take her pain?" Emma asked without moving her eyes from Regina's face, awaiting any sign of life beneath the surface of the heavily medicated woman they all loved.

"Don't take it away. We need to be able to treat her." Eva ordered. Belle nodded.

"I have something in mind aside from a numbing spell then. Regina and I still have a magical connection. Ruby, I need you told hold me up when I touch her." Ruby nodded without looking. She, too, focused solely on Regina's face.

It took a few minutes, but the injured woman moaned and then gasped. Her hands reached for her belly, but Ruby restrained them.

"Regina, Baby, you're okay. Ruby is keeping you from hurting yourself. Can you speak?" Emma informed her partner of the situation. Regina whined and shook her head but opened her mouth anyway.

"Hurts." They all deflated with relief. She was Regina. Belle moved instantly.

"Regina, I'm going to tap into your energy. Help ease the pain." Belle said to the practically delirious woman.

"No. Hurts." Regina mumbled, and Belle sucked a deep breath that she released through her mouth like an athlete steadying her nerves before a big match.

"I know it's going to hurt." The librarian took a deep breath and nodded jerkily to her lover. Ruby wrapped her arms around her waist tightly, trusting Emma to keep Regina's hands from clawing at her incisions.

"Don't let me stop touching her until she's back under. No matter what happens. It's not going to be pretty. I'll probably beg you to stop holding my hand against her." Belle said calmly. She was such a badass, Emma thought.

Regina's anguished cry brought her back to the situation at hand. Belle took another breath and then touched Regina's thigh. Ruby immediately covered it with her own much stronger hand and held her about the middle with the other. Nothing happened at first. Belle closed her eyes, faltered, winced as neck muscles tighten and bulged.

"Talk fast," she ordered in a strangled voice and then slammed her head back into Ruby's shoulder and loosed a hollow scream towards the ceiling.

"Regina, Baby, it's me. I'm here. I remember everything. You're okay. Annabel's okay. Do you feel different aside from being in pain and medicated?" Emma spurted at her partner, ignoring Belle's crying and thrashing. Ruby hid her face in her lover's shoulder but valiantly maintained the contact. This had been Belle's decision, and she intended to see it through.

"Emma, you're back?" Regina whispered and touched her face. The pain still radiated from her stomach, but it was manageable for the moment.

"I'm back, and so are you. I'm going to take care of you, okay. So just focus on getting better. We're going to put you back under now. This is really hurting Belle. We just needed to check and make sure you were okay." Emma talked as fast as possible without running over her words. Regina's hazy mind caught most of them.

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Regina asked, her eyes flicking to the squalling librarian. Stupid girl. Not only had she pulled on her own life force for the energy swap, she willingly invited the pain from Regina's wounds into her own stomach.

"Regina, you died. I brought you back with True Love's kiss." Emma's voice was quiet with emotion. She shook her head, eyes slamming shut when Belle screamed again.

"Look, I'll tell you everything when you heal enough to talk normally. We needed to check and make sure you weren't like Daniel. Eva, start that drip now." Emma glanced at the doctor and then back at Regina. She held her face in both hands.

"I won't leave your side. I'll be here when you wake up, Baby. I love you, Regina. I love you so much." Emma pressed their lips together even as Regina went limp beneath her hands.

Belle slumped into Ruby, held up by the strength of the wolf's arms around her waist. She twitched and found balance on violently quivering legs. She allowed Ruby's body to stabilize hers. She was tough, but this wasn't like normal pain. Magic always came with a price, even the magic meant to help others. Emma's beautiful heart completely destroyed Neverland when she joined it with Storybrooke, not to mention herself with unwavering belief in her love for Regina. She hated the stuff.

"Thanks Belle," Emma whispered and smoothed Regina's hair around her face, careful not to detached any of the wires stuck to her scalp. Rather than answer, Belle pointed towards the door. The three women moved as one unit and left Emma alone with her soul mate. Emma barely noticed their departure until they suddenly weren't there anymore.

Once alone and behind a closed door in the dim room, she pulled the chair to the bed and sat near Regina's head. She spread Regina's fingers with one hand and rested her palm on the back of her limp hand. With the other, she touched the sweaty black hair that she'd fantasized about when she wasn't able to remember why.

"Regina, I'm sorry." Emma started quietly but stopped when the door opened. Ruby leaned around it, her intention of remaining outside the room clear.

"Hey, Henry's hungry and Belle's a wreck. I'm going to take them home. We'll be back later. Call me if anything changes." Ruby looked like a wreck, too. Deep lines marked her youthful face with grief and responsibility beyond her 27 years. She'd be okay. They all would eventually.

"Ruby," Emma called and stood as the wolf sunk behind the door. She crossed the floor quickly and slammed into her friend in an emotional embrace. "Thank you." It was deeper than simply gratitude for stepping up and caring for Henry once more. The words confessed a heartfelt debt Emma felt she owed the resilient and loyal wolf.

"We're here for you, Emma. I'm here for you. You don't have to deal alone. None of us did." Emma pulled back from the embrace with a tight smile and met Ruby's eyes. They held the gaze for a moment and then parted without further comment.

Emma resumed her previous perch at Regina's side, taking her hand eagerly. Words poured out before she even thought about them. She needed to say them to someone. She needed Regina to hear them, awake or not. Perhaps if the first time she said them was to an unconscious Regina that made repeating them when she was awake easier.

"Regina, I used again. Twice. That day I left you after the bathtub thing and again the day we fought at your appointment. 12... Mmm, two years of sobriety down the drain. I didn't let myself fall back into the habit again. My sponsor was pissed, but she was the only one who wasn't threatening to take Henry away from me, so she was the only one I felt comfortable talking to.

"I know you'll forgive me because you always do, but I don't think I can forgive myself, especially since the only thing I want right now is a needle in my arm. Some really fucked up shit happened in Neverland, and it all started with you being kidnapped and having your love taken. Maybe I am going crazy.

"That's why I called him again." Emma shifted uncomfortably even though the medication prevented Regina from hearing her.

"I fucked him and wished it was you the entire time. Every time after I finally found you again. It was stupid. I was stupid. I never should have left your side. It's my fault you're in this bed unconscious instead of giving birth to our daughter naturally and safely. I put you in this incredibly dangerous position without fully considering the consequences, and it almost killed you. I know you wanted to carry a child but not at the expense of your life. I almost didn't get here in time."

Emma dropped her forehead to Regina's shoulder and allowed the hot tears of regret and relief to drip onto her hospital gown. The time for speaking passed, and the broken savior simply gave herself to the comfort of their reunion. Nothing had made her feel better in the past two months except for Regina's quiet strength and infectious energy. She needed Regina, more than anything, perhaps more than her children. It was a disgusting thought, but that feeling hadn't lessened the truthfulness behind the sentiment. She was nothing without Regina, and she'd nearly allowed her to die because fear controlled her heart instead of love.

One day, she vowed to make everything up to her patient lover, but right now… right now, she cried until the pain loosened enough for her to catch her breath. One day, the world wouldn't hurt so much.


	18. Strong Enough

Thank you for all of the reviews! I am expecting quite a backlash for this chapter, so lay it on me. Just don't ignore all the good stuff, too.

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: 100 in a 55 by Pop Evil, Latch by Disclosure, Unconditional by Katy Perry

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><p>The following two days passed slowly. Emma only left Regina's room in order to visit Annabel, but the infant had been moved to Regina's room that morning so there was no reason to leave her again. Eva and Addison stopped by and checked incisions and heart readings and lowered the dosage of morphine. It was a start that allowed Regina to drift in and out of consciousness though she mostly mumbled about Annabel. Every hour, it seemed, she woke up and asked for her daughter. Emma was ready this time with about five minutes to go. She stood at the foot of the bed and jostled the babe slightly in a bouncing, swooping motion.<p>

"Hello," a soft voice called from the door, and Emma startled enough to pull the dagger Belle loaned her and shield Annabel with her body. The other woman held up her hands in mock surrender.

"I'm a neurologist, not a warrior." The woman chuckled, more amused than frightened by Emma's dramatic reaction.

"Hey, Dr. Shepherd," Emma sniped and sheathed the dagger at her thigh.

"You should go home and take a shower and come get a drink with me tonight." The doctor said casually. Bloody brilliant. Her family's neurologist was a wild child.

"I don't fucking know you. Why the hell would I drink with you?" Emma's anger flared and surged in her veins, but she almost felt herself accepting. It was too much. She needed Regina, but Regina wasn't here. Ruby and Belle were like her friends in Boston. They judged. Fucking hypocrites. Ruby was an alcoholic and Belle was a sex addict. They all had their flaws.

"Because I've watched you crack and strain under the stress of your situation for the past three days, you're going to be absolutely useless to your family if you don't start taking care of yourself. Belle and Ruby are amazing people, but they like to pretend they are morally superior, and you look like you could use a big tall glass of drink." Amelia said, practically reading her mind as she studied the brain scans and read outs attached to Regina's chart.

"These look fantastic. Annabel's too. Your family is healthy, Emma. Nothing but the best for The Truest Believer." She smiled brightly, and Emma nearly tripped on her own feet. Her smile, like Regina's and Ruby's, lit up the entire room when turned to its full wattage. Despite her hesitation and logical reasons not to, Emma conceded.

"I don't drink in public anymore." Emma said with a raised eyebrow.

"Good. I hate people. Hmmm. You know, Mexico sounds so much better than blue ass cold Storybrooke. Why the hell she brought us here is a mystery I will never unravel. Makes me want to claw her eyes out sometimes." She jerked a thumb at Regina with a grin.

"Did you know her in The Enchanted Forest?" Amelia smirked. Emma liked the other woman despite the thousand warning flags pinging inside her mind.

"I was a potions expert at her disposal... And I do mean for everything." Amelia offered a gracious yet sardonic bow. "I could find any ingredient she ever possibly needed, even the rarest. I'm obsessed with memory potions and psychedelic ingredients. So she made me a neurologist here. Unfortunately, I don't actually have any real power, so the potions were virtually useless without one who wielded magic. We were sort of perfect for each other in that way. I'll never be calm enough to use Earth Magic like Belle."

Emma shivered, knowing exactly what her words meant. She and Regina had been together before, and Emma seriously doubted it was a loving and gentle relationship. If Amelia had real power, Regina probably would have killed her a long time ago or created a duo of death and destruction. Amelia was wild. It was addicting to feel the excitement of meeting a kindred spirit again. Annabel gurgled and broke the heated stare she shared with the young doctor. Emma turned her back quickly, hoping Amelia took the hint and left without further comment as she soothed and rocked her three-day-old infant.

She breathed deeply when two persistent hands touched her sides just above her hips. Arousal burned in her belly, and she bit her lip. Regina was the kind of woman she wanted to marry. Amelia was the kind of woman she wanted around when she needed to blow off steam, the kind of woman she slammed into walls and choked and scratched and bruised. Even though Regina wanted those things, Emma struggled giving her pain, but not strangers, not women like Amelia. She'd never had sex with any other woman but Regina, but a flash of taking Amelia against back wall of the hospital flashed through her mind.

"I'll meet you in the parking lot at 6:15," Amelia breathed into her ear. "Seriously, take a shower and change your clothes first." And then she was gone.

Emma released a shaking breath and glanced at Regina. She never had to know, right? Belle or Ruby or Granny surely knew she eventually needed a break, a minute to herself. The limit to one person's strength was inevitably reached in these situations. They poured themselves into Henry, soothing his nightmares and taking him daily to see Archie. They needed her to be strong so that they extended their strength to Henry and searched for this magical being who had taken Ruby's pendant. No one had time to deal with her self-destructiveness, especially Regina and Annabel.

She took a deep cleansing breath and released the nearly overwhelming temptation. Amelia drank alone this night, she determined.

"Emma?" Regina rasped without opening her eyes. Emma moved to her side instantly.

"I'm here, Baby. Here's your button." Emma pushed the medication dispenser control into her hand, but Regina pushed it away.

"Annabel," she whined, already in pain, physical and emotional. Every semi-lucid moment, Emma reminded her that their daughter survived completely unscathed, but Regina either never remembered or never believed her.

"She's fine, Regina. Do you want to hold her? I'll help you." Without waiting for an answer, she gently settled the infant on Regina's chest between her huge breasts. One hand wrapped around their daughter's belly and stabilized her position, and the other guided Regina's to Annabel's tiny legs.

Regina gasped a sob. It was the first time she'd actually touched the baby, and for the first time since the day Belle took her pain, she opened her eyes. Emma's face softened. God, she'd missed those beautiful eyes. The hand beneath hers stiffened and revived with strength, albeit shaking and weak. Emma released it, happy when Regina held it in place and brushed a thumb over Annabel's tiny thigh. She cupped Regina's cheek and gave herself to the happy moment. There hadn't been many in the past three days.

"Hey Beautiful," she greeted the hazy and medicated woman. "You have no idea how much I needed to see your eyes right now." Emma confessed around her tightening throat.

"Tell me what's wrong, Darling," Regina pushed gently. She really wanted to push the button that administered her medication, but touching Annabel and having a moment with Emma became far more important than controlling her pain. Perhaps Zambrano needed to lower her dosage again.

"I want to use again, Regina." Her chin dropped to her chest as the dam burst, snakes and all, with her confession. "I want to use, and I want to sleep with someone else. I mean, not really, but she's here and she wants it and I'm so fucked up. I already slept with him when I knew I loved you. I didn't remember you, but I knew I loved you. I need help." Emma spurted as much as possible before tears stole her voice.

"Don't use, Emma." Trembling fingertips touched her face. "If you need to have sex with her, then do it, but don't use. I can't help you right now." A cough stopped the flow of words, and Emma reached for the now room temperature water on the table by her bed. Regina sucked down a copious amount gratefully, swishing her mouth every couple of gulps.

"I couldn't do that to you again, Regina. I couldn't do that to myself." Emma took a sip of the water and swallowed with a grimace before returning it to the table. She hated warm water. She wiped her wet face and readjusted her grip on her daughter.

"Again?" Regina blurted. She grew more and more lucid and spunky by the moment. Too bad pain also came with clarity. "Emma, you didn't do it to me the first time. You didn't know, and you're being honest about it now. I've never confined you with the chains of monogamy, Darling. Sex isn't love, and I know you're heart belongs to me." She'd always been of the belief until Emma that she needed multiple partners to be satisfied, but love left her with eyes for only one person. It had Emma as well, but grieving people often sought sexual release as a form of comfort.

"It doesn't bother you that I slept with Jason, even after I found you?" How the hell had she gotten so lucky? A part of her wanted Regina to be angry. It made refusing Amelia much easier if Regina's anger contended with her desire.

"I admit that the thought of another's hands upon you makes me… uncomfortable in a way I've never been with previous lovers. I won't, however, tell you no or ask you not to do something that might help you cope until I recover. Emma," Regina said her name in a tone that practically ended the conversation and waved her hand.

"The decision is yours. I only ask that you be honest with me. Now, I'm going to push that button in about two minutes, so I'd like to focus on our daughter until then. Is that okay?" Emma nodded, not trusting her voice.

Annabel fell to the background, however, when lips collided. Emma broke it with a gasp and then pressed into her lover once more. This was what she needed. Regina's lips provided a much needed release and reprieve. They were going to save her soul. A healing balm soothed the fire of torment in her soul, and Emma wasn't even irritated when Annabel mewed once and then cried. Her tiny arms jerked, no longer satisfied with being ignored.

"She's hungry," Emma whispered and pulled back. Regina craned her neck and glanced down at the infant. With a little effort, she just reached the crown of her head with her lips.

"Hey, I'm here, Wolflette!" Regina started and then winced at Ruby's exuberant voice and glanced up at her best friend as she closed the door and stripped her coat.

"Ruby, likes to feed her in the evening," Emma explained.

"Well, enjoy that while you can because as soon as these drugs are out of my system, I'll be taking control of all feedings." Regina's voice was strained with pain but light. Ruby brightened and tripped over her feet as she stumbled to a stop at her side.

"Hey, Mama Bear. You're awake." She kissed Regina's cheek and then Annabel's head. "How are you feeling?" Ruby gushed quickly, sensing Regina's pain.

"What happened to your face?" Regina blurted. Emma glanced up and laughed out loud. Tiny scratches scraped down her cheek, neck, and arms like tiny claw tracks.

"We have a cat now," Ruby groused in disgust.

"What?" Emma managed between guffaws.

"Belle's daughter brought home a fucking kitten. She found it behind the library and thought it was going to freeze. Belle agreed and brought it home instead of taking it to the shelter. Apparently, Alex was 'too cute' and needs 'something to distract her' from everything that's going on." Ruby's voice whined and then mimicked Belle's accent terribly as she air quoted her partner. Emma laughed harder.

"Be…" Emma wiped tears and tried to speak. "Belle got a kitten?" She gasped.

Ruby sputtered and glanced at Regina for support, but the older woman simply bit her bottom lip, knowing once she started laughing, she'd not stop, and her stomach hurt far too much for that. Ruby jabbed a finger at her face and then held out her arms

"I'm a werewolf!" Her voice peaked so incredibly high that it wasn't human. Emma covered her face and held her breath. It hadn't helped. The burst of laughter puffed her cheeks and then vibrated her lips as it bubbled from her chest.

"I hate all of you," Ruby deadpanned and then reached for Annabel. "Come here, Wolflette. I don't hate you. You love your wolf, right? You'd never bring home a kitty that tries to eat her face. No, you wouldn't do that." Ruby's voice turned sickly sweet in a way only a tiny tiny baby caused anyone, anywhere to talk… except perhaps crazy cat ladies. They loved their fur babies.

They watched for a moment. Regina grabbed Emma's shirt unconsciously and smiled. She knew what Regina felt. She felt it every time she watched anyone with Annabel. They'd done that. Emma pressed a kiss to her forehead and pushed the button on her medication drip.

"I'll ask Eva to lower your dosage so you can stay awake more easily." She whispered into the skin beneath her lips and felt Regina nod weakly.

"Love you, Emma," she mumbled as the chemical took her under almost immediately.

"I love you, too, Baby," Emma answered. "Hey Rubes, you mind hanging out a couple hours? I'm going to go take a shower and get some air."

"Sure, I brought you some clothes and shampoo and stuff. Don't all the rooms have showers in the bathrooms? Just do it here and then go for a walk or whatever you had in mind. I'm content right here." Ruby spoke to her, but her eyes never moved from Annabel's face as she suckled at her bottle.

"Thanks, Rubes." Emma smiled painfully at the other woman. If she only knew she was about to do, her smile would have disappeared and her eyes turned yellow.

She showered quickly, forcing everything from her mind except for her next movement. Massage hair. Rinse. Scrub. Shave. Rinse. It was methodical, and it made her sick. Ruby said nothing when she emerged with dripping hair. The water beaded in the tangled strands and splashed onto her white tank top in tiny drops. The wet towel tangled it more when she scrubbed it into her scalp and squeezed the bottom. She draped it over the second chair, kissed her daughter, kissed Regina and then left without a word. Ruby squinted at the odd behavior. Emma hadn't taken her coat. Where was she going in the hospital?

Emma fumbled around the hallways until she finally found the neurology department and Amelia's office. As she suspected, the surgeon sat at her desk and avoided paperwork. Emma slipped inside and locked the door, snapping the tension tight when Amelia finally opened her eyes. The pen she attempted to balance on the bridge of her nose clattered to the floor as she scrambled upright.

"Regina," Amelia protested, but her tone suggested that she hadn't actually cared beyond her own safety. Regina was Emma's problem unless she tried to kill her.

"Regina knows." Emma said darkly and shortened the distance between them with confident steps and cocky swagger.

"Fuck." Amelia stood immediately. Regina had given her blessing, and Emma came at her like a woman possessed.

Cold fingers wrapped around her throat as lips collided. Emma's hand cut off the moan in her throat when she forced her to the desk with pressure on her neck and a hot body pinned her there. Files skittered across the floor. Hands tore at shirts and bras until skin slid over skin. Emma gripped her throat again and pulled back, holding her in place though she tried to follow.

"Hit me," Emma ordered her. Amelia's eyes flew open wide.

"I'm a neurosurgeon." Emma Swan had completely snapped and lost her fucking mind. The tormented savior presented too much woman for her to handle, but she eagerly latched on and prayed she survived.

"Get creative." Emma demanded and then sank her teeth into the flesh of her neck as her hands pushed at the elastic on her scrub bottoms. Amelia cried out, pushed Emma back and then struck out with the front of her elbow.

Emma grunted and stumbled back in shock, cheek exploding with pain. Amelia followed, using the momentum to her advantage. Emma's back hit her filing cabinet with enough force to dent the drywall behind it. The loose jeans fell to her ankles and disappeared with her boots before she recovered from the sudden roughness. Clawed fingers found her breast from beneath her thigh and a warm tongue sank into her scorching center.

Fire burned beneath her veins as Amelia built her up frantically. She allowed the surgeon's shoulder to hold the weight of her leg on her shoulder and grabbed two fistfuls of dark hair. Amelia grunted and almost pulled away from the tight pressure holding her against Emma's wildly rolling hips. She may have had her tongue inside the other woman, but she was the one being taken for a ride. Emma stilled when a small orgasm rocked her.

Amelia recovered a moment later and then plunged three fingers into her, penetrating her with an already frantic rhythm. Emma thumped her head against the metal cabinet tearing into her back and cried out. Amelia knew the dance of rough, angry sex and adjusted quickly to Emma's body, though she felt certain any stimulation right now would have pleased the overly aroused woman.

"Like that, Savior?" She asked before latching onto Emma's clit with firm lips and scraping teeth. Emma's breasts were just small enough to see her eyes when they dropped to hers.

"Shut up and give me more," Emma ordered. If she wasn't angry before, the reminder of her title sent a torrent of acid into her veins.

She nearly fell over when Amelia's pinky joined her other fingers inside, stretching her out. God, it hurt so damn deliciously. She deserved this. She wanted the pain. It was the only thing that didn't hurt. Holding Annabel hurt. Kissing Regina hurt. But the pain… the pain made her feel better.

Amelia abandoned her kneeling position and pressed salty lips to hers in a heated tussle of tongue and teeth. Emma squirmed under the pressure every time she filled her with precise thrusts. The hands of a surgeon, no wonder Lauren was so bloody happy and giggly lately. Teeth latched onto Emma's neck, and she fisted dark hair violently. A sliver of fear shot through Amelia's eyes as they stared up at her.

"You don't get to mark me." Amelia nodded and slammed into her again. Emma held her head in place as she resumed the frantic pace. Their eyes maintain the gaze until Emma's slick muscles clenched and sucked at her fingers and green eyes slammed shut as the ecstasy laced muscle spasm left her panting and jerking in pleasure.

A sheen of sweat covered both women, and slicked skin slid together when Emma used her superior physical strength to break the hold against the filing cabinet and forced Amelia against desk. They faced each other long enough for Amelia to step out of her scrub bottoms and shoes and kick them away. Emma spun her and twisted an arm around her back at the same time. Amelia's chest hit the desk, the force stealing her breath and nearly taking out her computer in the process.

Emma held her wrist tightly and scraped teeth across her shoulder blades. Amelia cried out in pain but never asked her to stop. Tiny maroon dots formed beneath the flesh of her back, following the lines of Emma's teeth. Emma smiled darkly and battled the desire to leave more marks upon the otherwise perfectly smooth and clear skin. Amelia was a beautiful woman.

"Fuck! Emma!" Was the response when she penetrated her, first with two fingers for one stroke to test her tightness and wetness and then added another. Amelia already felt her muscles clenching around Emma. She hadn't a clue what possessed the other women, but she hoped like hell it happened again, especially if Regina gave Emma the freedom to relieve herself of the anger and sexual tension she carried so obviously.

Her free hand jerked, knocking a container of paperclips to the floor when the first orgasm rocked her. That hadn't taken long at all, not when Emma's reaction to her touch riled her so very much already. Emma gave her a moment of recovery time and then slammed into her again. Amelia covered her mouth with her free hand and muffled her scream as Emma pushed her body over the edge again. She slumped against the desk, spent and glowing.

Emma's touch disappeared. By the time she recovered enough to stand straight, Emma was dressed and headed for the door. She rounded the desk quickly, nearly biting it on her wobbly legs.

"Wait, Emma." She wasn't sure her voice was audible, but Emma stopped, hooked her thumbs in her back pockets, and faced her slowly.

"What? This is what you invited me over for tonight, wasn't it?" Emma sniped at her. She wanted to feel used, but as she slipped into her scrub bottoms without her underwear and slumped into her office chair, she felt too damn good to feel anything but wonderful. Emma huffed impatiently.

"Why? Your love for Regina is legendary. Why this?" Amelia finally asked. Her hands shook with spent adrenaline, and she thanked some holy force that she wasn't on call tonight. Emma sighed and picked up her bra and shirt from the floor and handed them to her as she sat on the desk.

"Because it's this or a needle in my arm." Emma admitted honestly and stretched her back. Damn, Amelia was strong for such a tiny person. Must have been the adrenaline.

"I knew The Savior had to be some kind of fucked up. No one goes through what you have your entire life without some sort of serious mental issues. I'm an addict, too." Amelia sobered with the confession and met Emma's gaze with hesitant eyes.

"What's your drug of choice?" Emma asked. The doctor snorted.

"Does it matter? Booze, pills, cocaine. I've done a bit of everything in this land and our land." Amelia clenched her jaw painfully and snapped her bra before pulling it over her head and adjusting her breasts in the cups. Like Emma, she struggled with her recovery. That's why she'd been in the mood for drinking tonight.

"Look, Emma, if this is what you need, then I can give it. Judgment and attachment free. But if what you really need is a friend to talk to, I can be that, too. I imagine it's difficult to see your family so adjusted and healed after whatever happened in Neverland and the final battle here. Now, Annabel is making everyone squee and giggle, which she should. She absolutely should, but it's hard to enjoy your newborn when you're depressed and traumatized. What the hell happened to you guys over there, anyway?"

"Maybe some other time, Amelia. Can I come see you the same time tomorrow?" Amelia nodded and then watched Emma leave without further comment. What the hell just happened? Addison and Eva were going to be pissed.

Ruby perked immediately when Emma returned to the room. Regina mumbled something under breath, and Emma smiled. Ruby's eyes darkened.

"Eva lowered her meds when she stopped by about 20 minutes ago." Ruby explained. Emma sat in the chair the wolf wasn't occupying and took Regina's hand. She felt calmer, more in control. She knew it was the endorphins, and she knew that Ruby knew the second her eyes flashed yellow in anger.

With precise movements, Ruby deposited Annabel into her crib and turned to face her friend with clench fists. "What the hell did you do?" Her voice was low and dangerous, and Emma rolled her eyes. Fucking wolf nose.

"Nothing wrong," Emma answered. Regina jerked awake when her best friend slammed her partner into the wall with harmful hands on her shoulders.

"Ruby," Regina moaned. "Leave Emma alone." She mumbled, fighting through the chemical haze to reality as best she could.

"No, do you know what she did Regina?" Ruby inhaled deeply and waited for the recognition of the scent to hit her. Amelia.

"She just left you to go fuck Amelia Shepherd. She's your daughter's fucking doctor. She's Regina's doctor!" Ruby yelled inches from Emma's face. Annabel startled at the sudden noise and cried. Emma pushed Ruby away roughly and retrieved her daughter. The wolf released her willingly, otherwise, she never would have been freed.

"Shhh, it's okay, Squidgelette. Mama's here." Emma shushed the infant, and the crying stopped almost instantly. She adored Emma already.

"Ruby, it's okay," Regina whispered. "I told her to." Ruby sputtered, waved dramatically and then left the room with a slam of the door.

"Emma?" Regina reached for her, and Emma returned her sleepy daughter to her own bed before taking her partner's hand.

"I'm here, Baby." Emma's voice cracked with the tears burning the back of her throat. She wasn't proud of what she'd done, but her grieving mind needed an outlet. "I'm sorry."

"Shh, Emma. Come here." She patted her chest just above her breast, and Emma held her weight on one elbow, held Regina's thigh with the other hand and then dropped her head to her lover's chest.

"She doesn't understand, Darling," Regina soothed. Her hand rested almost limply on the back of Emma's neck. "I'm here. I understand. Let it out, My Love. I'll not let you fall apart." Regina's words sounded calm and compassionate, but her heart hurt with the knowledge that Emma had actually slept with someone else. It hurt even more that it had been one of her previous lovers. Though, Emma had chosen well because Amelia almost never came with strings attached.

Emma was far more damaged than any of them anticipated, and Regina only hoped that she held on long enough for them to dispel this new threat and piece her back together.

"You died," Emma sobbed into her chest and squeezed her thigh tighter. She just wanted to hold Regina, but her surgical area prevented that without causing pain. "You died, and I couldn't even remember who you were."

"I know, Darling. I'm here, though. Somehow, I'm still here." Tears dripped into blonde hair. She cried for Emma, not for herself. Everything after she reached the operating room was a fog. She hadn't remembered dying or seen a white light or darkness or even had an out of body experience or coming back to life. She'd had so many chemicals coursing through her system and had apparently been sedated immediately after resurrection. She had no memories of it, so after the initial shock, she simply accepted the fact and moved on to the relief and concern that Emma had returned to her.

"Tell me not to do it again," Emma begged, breath hitching several times in her throat as she tried to breath. She coughed instead and wailed broken sobs into her chest. "I don't want to be with anyone else, Regina. Please tell me."

"Emma, please don't have sex with Amelia or anyone else but me ever again. You're mine and mine alone," Regina stated firmly. She had at one point been completely nonexclusive with her lovers. Not Emma. Never ever again would permission fall from her lips for Emma's infidelity. It had hurt both of them, but they'd done it together. There was no blame there, just a mutual mistake, but now they knew.

"I'm going to go talk to her tomorrow about my addiction. She told me that she's an addict, too. Maybe we can help each other. No one else has a clue how unless you count Ruby's drinking and Belle's overactive libido. I need help, Regina. I don't know how to deal with what happened in Neverland. I don't know how to be The Truest Believer. I don't know what I believe anymore. I don't know who…" Emma gasped and dropped her gaze to her chest. Regina's hand slid from it easily, leaving behind her heart. She'd given Emma her heart to ease the pain.

"Regina," Emma gasped and then cried for an entirely different purpose. It wasn't perfect, but the paralyzing pain eased if only for a moment. Relief. Love.

"I'm here, Darling," Regina said and readjusted her cheek against Emma's hair. "Believe in what you feel right now. Our love. We'll feel that again one day without sharing hearts. Do you want to talk about what happened in Neverland?" Regina asked gently. The only way Emma opened up was by taking her pain.

"I don't know what to say. They tortured me. You saw my body. Whatever drug they used to sedate me was sort of like ketamine. I was conscious but I couldn't move. It was terrifying. I couldn't move, but I still felt pain. I…" She faltered and took a deep breath. Regina's heart felt so incredibly good, so pure in her love. It wrapped around her own wounded soul, insulating it from the harshness of their reality.

"I can't, Regina. Not yet, Baby. I will. I just can't. Henry is so screwed up and you're hurt and some crazy bitch is terrorizing Storybrooke once again and Annabel needs me to take care of her and I'm pretty sure Ruby hates my guts. I just can't. I can't break down right now." Emma wiped at her tears furiously, but they continued falling just the same. She was breaking down whether she wanted to or not.

"Emma, it's okay. Shhh." Regina soothed her hair and reached for her morphine control. "I'm going to take a nap, okay? Will you carry my heart until I wake up?" Emma nodded. "Will you hold me until I wake up?" She nodded again.

Regina kissed blonde hair and pushed the button. Emma wasn't ready, but she was close. She only needed a moment to gather her thoughts and emotions without the pressure of Regina nagging her to open up, so Regina removed herself from the equation. When Emma hurt too deeply, she needed to deal with the pain a little at a time as she released it from the dungeon of her mind where she kept it locked away.

As she drifted off, Regina prayed her new plan worked out better than the last. She'd forgotten how self-destructive Emma was when she grieved. May the gods help Storybrooke if Emma Swan disappeared again because Regina planned to tear it apart until she discovered a way to cross the boundary and find her.

She wasn't strong enough to let her go again.


	19. The Darkness

So, there were a lot of deliciously mixed reviews and messages about the last chapter, so I thought I'd toss out my line of thought. First, I love that everyone is so passionate about these characters and their journey. Second, there are many different walks of life out there, monogamy, polyamory, open relationships, etc. We live in a very Christianized society where those types of love have become taboo, but they exist. They always have. I don't advocate for one over the other or judge. I simply observe as a writer and as someone who intends to become a clinical psychologist. If you'll review chapter 3 of Neverland in Your Arms, you'll find that Regina has had this discussion before. I've always intended to use the storyline with them, just never found the right time until now. Third, trust me.

So, thank you! I love such wonderful feedback!

That said, Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Off with Her Head by Icon for Hire

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><p>"Emma!" A voice screamed, and the woman attached to the name jumped. She peered over the side of the hospital roof, unable to identify the voice. No one waited for her at the bottom in the parking lot, just footprints in the snow.<p>

"What the hell are you doing?" Belle said from behind her. She must have poofed to the roof.

"Well, I'm not jumping if that's what you think… which you clearly did. Look! Great big wall around the edge. I'm not on top. I'm just… breathing." Emma did just that, and Belle waited impatiently. She nearly stamped her foot in frustration before Emma spoke again.

"Ruby told you what happened, I assume?" Emma asked and set her hands on the wall at the edge and puffed white condensation from her mouth when she laughed self-deprecatingly.

"She did," Belle said carefully and joined her at the wall, puffy coats barely touching at the shoulder. Something was most definitely wrong with Emma. "I'm not here to judge you, Emma. I just wanted to make sure you're okay. Did Ruby do that?" She pointed at the darkened bruise on her jaw. Ruby's punch from three days ago had nearly healed on the other side.

"No, Amelia did." Belle swallowed and stared into the parking lot.

"Emma, I need you to tell me why," Belle said gently. Her hands flew up in a placating gesture when Emma opened her mouth defensively.

"No, that's not what I meant. I told you, no judgment. You're clearly going through something that we can't possibly understand. I just need to know what's going on so I know how to help you. I was ready to leave Ruby once, remember. You saved our relationship that day. Let me help you with yours." Belle's voice was tender. She truly wasn't here to criticize her decisions. Emma huffed a cloud of warm air.

"Something's wrong with me," Emma said calmly and touched her chest. "Something's not right in here." How was she supposed to explain everything to Belle? She felt hollow. Shouldn't The Truest Believer have jumped for joy and spurted love everywhere when her true love came back from the dead? A death caused by the birth of her magical seed.

"Emma, you've gone through something horrific. Of course, you don't feel right." Belle struggled for understanding, and Emma's frustrated huff told her that she missed the mark.

"No, that's not it. I mean, yes, that stuff is fucked up, and I'll deal with it in time. This isn't that. Something's wrong with my heart." Emma pulled off her gloves and laid them on the wall and then repeated the process with one of Belle's.

Their hands sunk into Emma's chest before Belle thought to protest. Emma wrapped her fingers around the pulsing organ and then pulled her hand free, leaving Belle's buried in her chest. Wide blue eyes stared into green. What was Emma's point? Her heart felt fine.

"Emma, it feels fine," Belle said and nearly removed her hand. Emma grabbed her wrist and held it in place.

"Pull it out," she ordered her friend.

Belle's forehead scrunched in confusion. No one possessed the ability to obtain Emma's heart. It stayed where she put it. With a deep breath, she obliged her tortured friend. She gasped when the organ pulled out as easily as any other. The brilliant gold of The Truest Believer glowed only faintly in between swirls of black and pulsing pink. Emma had lost something. How the hell had her heart been blackened so much?

"Would I have ever slept with someone else no matter how fucked up under normal circumstances?" Belle shook her head. "Then why the hell would I sleep with someone three days after the love of my life gives birth to my baby? My actual fucking baby!" Emma set her bare hands on the frozen metal of the wall. Belle simply stared at her heart. What the hell had Emma lost?

"Your love?" Belle asked suddenly. Regina wasn't strong enough to survive another blow right now, not after just recovering Emma.

"No, I still love her. I still love everyone as I should. It just feels… different. Less, somehow. It's not what drives me like it was before. I'm angry, Belle. I've been angry since Ruby tossed me over the line. It's not normal for me. Something's wrong. I mean, I'm used to self-destructing, but I've never wanted… this. I've never wanted to hurt other people as much as I do right now. That's why I did it. I needed to cause that pain and feel it in return. That's not me." Emma took her heart and pushed it into her chest with one hand and waved at her face with the other.

"Whatever happened, it happened when I brought Regina back. When I kissed her, the ring of power didn't come from the kiss, like it had before. It came from my chest. I think… maybe I gave her… I don't know…But that doesn't explain why I've been so angry even before I returned to Storybrooke." Emma waved her hands helplessly. She still understood very little of the magic she wielded.

"I'm not sure exactly what happened, Emma. No one has ever been resurrected before. Perhaps it simply took a lot of magic, and you need to recharge?" Belle flailed in the open water as much as her. It might have made her feel better if it wasn't so terrifying. Belle had the answers for everything.

"Emma, why is your heart so black? It didn't look like that when you gave it to Regina during that last fight with Pan." Belle was scared, and it unnerved Emma. Belle didn't get scared, she found the answers in her big brain or endless supply of books.

"Come on. It's freezing out here, and we have bigger problems than my dark heart. We still have no idea who took Ruby's courage or cast The Dark Curse. We can fix me when we figure that out." Emma said and took small, defeated steps towards the door.

"Emma." Belle halted her progress towards the door and hugged her tightly. Emma hadn't the heart to tell her that the more affection shown to her, the more she ached. She hugged her back quickly and then pulled away. Her heart hurt for Belle, and she wished for the ability to heal emotional pain. She'd have gladly taken it all from the resilient and loyal librarian/warrior.

"Sex isn't love, Emma. Ruby said that Regina gave you permission. In my eyes, aside from really, really sordid timing, you did nothing wrong. Ruby simply gets her knickers twisted where Regina is concerned. I mean, the woman isn't made of glass. She has more blood on her hands than anyone I know except Rumpel. She had her reasons, like all of us, but I think we all forget how vicious she can be." Belle offered a piece of solid ground to stand on, and Emma leapt from the water.

"I know. She's tough. I forget that, too, because she's… well, she's Regina, you know. God, I love her so much. I just feel like I'm being judged for cracking. It was one stupid choice, and it won't happen again. Everyone else has had their breakdowns, and I've been right fucking there. Even Ruby drove you to the point of breaking. Do I judge her when she breaks down? No, I scrape her drunk ass off the floor and pull her through it.

"Even though I have no fucking clue what happened between them in Neverland, I'd like to believe that Ruby's love for you and Regina's respect for me kept them from having sex. Their magic connection thing or whatever apparently was strong enough for Ruby to completely lose control. Regina didn't love me. How are we to know what did and didn't happen?" Belle shrugged when Emma finally met her eyes and took a breath from her rant.

"Ruby says nothing beyond the kiss. Though I've wondered the exact same thing at times, I believe her," Belle offered, hoping it helped. Emma nodded.

"That's something. Ruby is a lot of things. A liar isn't one of them." Emma took a breath and continued in a much calmer voice after hearing Belle's reassurance.

"I've been there for you and this fucking town. When Regina lost her love, I never gave up. I never quit, and it destroyed me. You were there. You saw it. Maybe that's my destiny. The Truest Believer destroys herself over and over in order to save soul mate." Emma caught angry tears before they froze her face and continued into the building. How was life together worth it if it only brought pain and suffering? The skin around Emma's eyes tightened with the thought. What the hell? She ran from the thought and inside the building. Belle followed, mind running as fast as ever.

"That actually makes a lot of sense. Prophesies like yours often come with such a dark undertow. Unfortunately, those involved aren't normally portrayed accurately. There's too much pain and grief. I suppose that's not very inspiring." Belle babbled absently and then smacked into Emma's back, not having noticed the abrupt stop at the bottom of the staircase.

"That… does make a lot of sense. Like Disney screwing with all the Grimm tales. Or in your case, history." Emma brought Belle's theory to her level, and the librarian smiled.

"I like the way they portrayed me. She's sassy," Belle confessed with a smirk. Emma actually smiled.

"You're sort of incredible, you know that?" Emma complimented. Belle was the first person who spoke with her like a normal person, made her _feel_ normal for just a moment.

"I don't like to brag," Belle said seriously but nodded her head with mischievous eyes. She moved towards the elevator, and Emma shook her head, following with a slightly lighter heart. Either the rough fuck, the emotional breakdown and subsequent talk with Regina, or Belle's gentle concern and easy acceptance shifted something in the right direction in her mind. Probably some odd combination of all three.

"You know, I was reading a book about grief today," Belle started absently and then stopped. Emma rolled her eyes.

"You? Reading a book about something you're helping your family with? Gasp." Emma nudged her sardonically. Belle narrowed her eyes playfully. It felt good to have Emma back, fucked up decisions and all.

"It said that it's really common to crave sex when you feel extreme grief. It's not really widely known why, but psychologists speculate that it has something to do with the emotional release of an orgasm. You might be The Savior and The Truest Believer, but you're still a woman." Belle explained her thoughts with a shrug and a shy smile. Aaaand timid Belle was back. Emma chewed on her words as the elevator dinged on the second floor.

"I never have before. This is brand fucking new to me. I've been craving a lot of sex, actually, since I went back to Salem after Regina destroyed the curse." The doors opened, but Belle's words held her in place.

"Regina died, Emma." Emma's jaw muscles jumped at the words. "I know she came back, but we're not sure how or why. It shouldn't have been possible. The consequences of that are yet to be seen. It may have sucked half of the magic from your heart. I don't know, but I can't imagine more grief than losing her and damaging your heart at the same time." Belle crossed her arms over her puffy dark blue coat self-consciously when Emma only stared.

"I'm sorry. Things only make sense to me in text. I shouldn't have said anything." Belle kicked herself for the perceived misstep. How the hell was she such a badass and so insecure at the same time?

"It's okay, Belle. It's just… You know what, I have nothing to follow that with except to say that it didn't upset me. You're right. The public never knows the full story, the pain." Emma punched the button to open the elevator doors, glad it hadn't moved again. It was after visiting hours, but no one dared say a word to them.

"I'm writing your story," Belle blurted and then rammed into Emma again when she stopped short. Why the hell had she stopped this time?

"What?" She whirled on the shorter woman.

"I want the next generation to know the truth of The Truest Believer and The Lost Soul. Your pain shouldn't become a footnote in history, Emma. You and Regina should be celebrated. The four Heroines of Storybrooke were just flawed, tortured women doing the best they could with what they'd been given. We shouldn't be some immaculate, larger than life folk heroes. We're just women." Belle shrugged and smiled timidly under Emma's scrutiny.

"Someone's going to do it. I'm glad it's someone who actually knows what the hell went down." Emma gave her support and acceptance easily. The thought of anyone writing about their life unnerved her, but Belle was right. They were just women, all of them addicts, all of them killers, and all flawed for sure.

Belle and Emma shed their winter gear. Emma kissed Annabel as Belle lifted her from the crib and then retreated to Regina's side. Belle sat opposite her at Regina's head. The elder witch cracked an eye and rolled it towards the extra person.

"Miss French, have you come to assault my fiancée as well?" Regina sniped warily and then closed her eyes and readjusted her head against the pillow.

"Nope. Just needed some Annabel kisses before I went to bed. Ruby assaulted you?" Belle tried to pay attention to the other women, but Annabel soaked up everything she had.

"Oh yeah, it's her new favorite thing, slamming me into walls." Emma grated and took Regina's hand, telling her silently that she was fine.

"Well, Annabel, I think your Aunt Ruby and I need to have a conversation about her proclivity for violence towards your Mama Emma. What do you think?" She babbled at the infant, letting them know that she'd heard Emma's words.

"How was your walk, Darling?" Regina asked sleepily. She must have just taken another dose of morphine. Emma twitched. Morphine was refined heroin, which came from poppy seeds. Regina opened her eyes and squeezed her hand. Emma snapped back to reality.

"It was cold but refreshing," Emma answered absently. Regina hummed and resettled her head against the pillow and closed her eyes.

"You always liked the cold." Regina mumbled and then lulled her head towards Belle. "How's Henry?"

"He's coping. He seems better after visiting with you and Annabel. Archie has always been fabulous with him. He's seen things a child, anyone really, should never have to see." Belle rubbed her scar against Annabel's soft hair and stared towards the wall, weighted beneath her memories.

"Belle," Emma brought her focus back to them. "We've been meaning to ask, but there was never a right time. We need to know what Henry saw before we can help him. He's not exactly forthcoming with details these days. It's weird to see him change so drastically in the past three days."

"He's seen me kill. With magic, with my swords. I strangled someone with a piece of wire once. I'm sorry that he's traumatized, but I'm not, nor will I ever be, sorry that I protected him." Belle's tone was defensive. No one blamed her for what happened. Everyone in Storybrooke was a little messed up from going to war, an actual fucking war.

"No one blames you, Belle," Regina said sadly. She couldn't have asked for a better guardian for her son. They shared an emotional gaze, which Belle broke when she turned her watery eyes back to Annabel.

"Have you dealt with everything?" Emma blurted. The night of the dance flashed into her mind. Belle never spoke of what she'd done during those two months except when she got drunk enough to let it out.

"A little at a time. Henry wasn't there for all of it, but I tried never to let him out of my sight when an attack came without warning most of the time. It was the best I could do. He's resilient, but he stopped talking about what he'd seen a week into the attacks. He practically stopped talking after we lost Thomas and Cinderella. I've been attending his sessions with Archie, and he's trying to open up. It's going to take some time. He likes the kitten, though." Belle smiled wickedly, and Emma laughed.

"You do know that you live with a werewolf, right?" Emma said around her giggles. She wished she'd seen the look on Ruby's face when she realized what happened.

"Yes, well, Ruby Lucas has been pissing me off lately, so I find her little scratches amusing." Belle grated bitterly, took a deep breath, changed the subject. "I've read about your type of relationship. It's called an open relationship, and apparently, it can be very successful and satisfying if both partners remain open and honest." Her wide blue eyes inspired another amused snort from Emma and a raise eyebrow from Regina.

"Ours is not that, Miss French," Regina responded with an edge in her voice. It wasn't irritated, but it was amused either. "Emma needed something I wasn't able to provide. You know as well as I that patriarchs practiced such things in our land, your father and my husband were no exceptions. Women were held to a different standard. I'd like to believe I changed that when I reigned. How Snow would squirm if she discovered that her precious father often had his way with the chambermaids." Regina almost laughed at her step-daughter's ignorance, stopped only by the fact that she had often gone behind him and soothed the damaged girls with her own touch, before her compassion had been taken by Rumpelstiltskin.

Emma jerked violently at the harsh words and averted her eyes to their joined hands. Stacy had been Regina's chambermaid. Had she been forced into a sexual relationship with her grandfather? No wonder Regina had given her permission so freely this morning. She was the fucking queen after all. Monogamy was as foreign to her as Greek was to Emma. Had she taken something from Regina by forcing her into the tiny box of Western, Christianized sexuality? She wore her sexuality proudly, never shied from it despite the earlier years of her marriage. She'd been raped for years, and yet she loved sex. Emma's head hurt.

"Emma," Regina said gently and shook her hand. Emma glanced up at concerned blue and brown eyes. Had she zoned out again?

"I spaced again, didn't I?" Belle nodded. Regina's forehead bunched in concern. Emma sighed

"Sorry, I've been doing that." She shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

"Something's wrong with Emma's heart," Belle blurted. Emma threw her hands in the air and let them fall with a slap against her thighs. "I'm sorry, Emma, but this isn't something to keep to ourselves. Regina, I was able to take her heart without Emma's assistance, and the golden glow has faded. It's barely there, and her heart is filled with darkness like I've never seen before. Emma's been angry, even before her return. Perpetual anger, not flashes, right Emma? The sort of anger than might lead someone to revenge?"

"Speak plainly, Bookworm." Regina sniped. Belle carefully maneuvered the sleeping infant to one arm and stood. Regina raised an eyebrow when she realized what her friend intended.

Belle's hand sunk into her chest. Regina gritted her teeth and waited for Belle's purpose to be revealed. She jerked up bodily when Belle tried to remove the organ. The librarian gasped and retreated to Annabel's crib, depositing the baby before her hands shook too violently to hold onto her safely. Emma and Regina stared at Regina's chest in confusion. What the hell just happened?

"I'm so sorry, Emma," Belle apologized and crossed her arms over her chest as she turned her back.

"What the hell just happened, Belle?" Emma asked frantically. She would have stood and shook her friend by shoulders if she thought her shaking legs would have carried her that far. Belle covered her face and mumbled something into her hands. Regina and Emma glanced at each other and then back to the distraught librarian.

"I gave you the wrong heart."


	20. Consequences

Thank you for the reviews, My Doves. Hopefully, this installment clears up some confusion.

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Super Psycho Love by Simon Curtis, Unconditional by Katy Perry, Unbeautiful by Lesley Roy

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><p>The room stilled, just as though Belle cast an immobilizing spell. Finally, Emma sputtered, returning the oxygen to the room. Regina ignored the pain and raise her bed to a full sitting position. Belle turned slowly and faced her friends she'd nearly destroyed.<p>

"What do you mean you gave her the wrong heart?" Regina's voice was breathy and deep, disbelieving and dangerous. She touched her chest and stared at Belle with cold eyes.

"I did this!" She waved her arms frantically. "That's why she brought you back! You had her heart this whole time. When Regina died, the heart of The Truest Believer must have retained its magic, like a preservation spell of sorts. Emma, your heart… the magic lasts after death. It has to. That's the only possible explanation! Otherwise, why didn't you die, too? You were linked." Belle heaved and covered her face, trying to catch up to her flying mind. She hated her intelligence sometimes. Emma and Regina were too shocked to speak. They waited for Belle's recovery and further explanation since she grasped this far better than they in that moment.

"Bloody hell, I could have killed both of you when you broke that curse. The only reason you are alive is because you shared a true love connection. If Regina's love hadn't returned, the crossing of realms would have killed you. I don't know that for certain, but that's the most likely outcome. True Love transcended the realms and kept you alive." Belle covered her mouth when Annabel mewed and shifted. They held their breaths until the infant settled and returned to sleep.

"If I had Emma's heart, I'd not have been able to remove it earlier. I did. I didn't exactly look at it, but Emma's heart can only be removed by Emma." Regina reasoned, not willing yet to consider the torment Emma must have felt with her darkened soul pulsing inside of her.

"Your heart is becoming the heart of The Truest Believer, Regina. It's in Emma's chest. I saw the glow. That's why it feels wrong. I'm so sorry. I should have paid more attention, but Pan's curse was coming that day and we were all crying and Emma refused to take her heart and… Oh god, what have I done?" Belle covered her mouth, but her wide shimmering eyes revealed her fear. It was enough to scare Emma all over again.

"Wait. Hold the fuck up." Emma scrubbed her face and collected her thoughts. She jumped up and paced. Anger flared in her chest, and she battled it down. Fingers dug into her hips and her head bowed as she struggled to control the foreign rage in her veins. It made so much sense now. Holy hell, how had Regina functioned? Slowly, she raised her head and looked between the other two women.

"Is that why I felt Regina's… I don't know… presence, essence, what the hell ever? The flashes of memories? How the hell could you not know, Regina?" Anger flared again, and Emma bowed her head again.

"I was pregnant, Emma. I thought it was connected to Annabel's magic and the hormones. She is the product of the most powerful dark and light magic ever known in any realm. I never once suspected I had your heart. Ruby noticed, remember Belle? At dinner that night in my castle, she asked me why I was suddenly so forgiving and she joked about carrying a child making me soft. That's why I never stopped believing. I had your heart. I try not to look at it when I remove it, so earlier when I put it in your chest and took it back out, I didn't look at it."

"Give it back!" Emma reached into her chest and tore Regina's heart free, extending her hand. She wanted her love back. She wanted to feel calm for the first time in months. That's why she'd felt so at peace when Regina's heart was in her chest earlier.

"Wait, stop," Belle inserted herself between her friends, sucking a deep breath at Emma's death glare. "When did you have your… that heart out?"

"I took it back just before Emma went for her walk." A glimmer of hope appeared, but Regina knew that she fooled herself. It was false and naïve. It was Emma. She gritted her teeth and waited for the flood of irritation and anger that normally cut short her patience. It never came. Emma was far more patient and understanding than she ever hoped to be.

"And you're positive that you didn't switch them then?" Regina shook her head.

"I thought it strange that I felt love when I touched it in my own chest. I took the heart with the same feeling before Emma left the room. Given our uncharacteristic behavior, I'm going to say that you are correct in your assumption that I now have Emma's heart attached to my soul and vice versa." Regina's voice was worried but calm. The difference in her behavior popped more now that they were acutely aware of it.

"We still don't know what will happen. We finally have a handle on this situation. Let's not make rash decisions before we gather as much information as possible. You carried each other's hearts for months in two different worlds. They have clearly identified with your bodies and souls if you've tapped Regina's anger as much as you have, and Regina you said you removed Emma's heart, which means it's identified with your body and soul. It can't be as simple as swapping, right? There have to be deeper ramifications than a few days of adjustment when we switch them back, right?" She spoke quickly and glanced at Regina for support. The elder witch wiped at her tears and nodded.

"It's worth investigating so we don't exacerbate this situation," Regina agreed, knowing exactly what she was doing to her lover. Emma fumed.

"Meanwhile, I have to carry this!" She waved the black and gold heart towards the other two women. Regina winced and averted her eyes from the organ. She knew her sudden peaceful nature came with a price. What the hell had her rage done to her partner? She felt Emma's unconditional love while Emma slowly sank into her path of vengeance and self-destruction. It wasn't fair. She gritted her teeth and forced her gaze back to Emma's. If she endured this, Regina swore silently to help her

"I'm not you, Regina. I don't know how to handle your anger and grief and guilt. I can't even hug Belle without feeling like I'm going to explode with guilt. Ruby and I are instantly pissed when we're around each other. I feel it, the darkness reaching for her. I didn't know what it was, but that's what it is, isn't it? That's the weird freaky connection you two have. Your rage searches for hers, just like your magic searches for mine when we touch, except we don't know how to handle it because I'm not you." Emma released the wash of rage upon her partner. Annabel cried from the negative energy and loud voices. Regina sniffed and wiped at tears. Belle intervened once more.

"Emma, just put it back in. Please. I'm sorry that you're hurting, but we need you to be strong for a little while longer until we can figure out how to fix this. Please, you're scaring your daughter." She knew it was a low blow, but the mention of Annabel snuffed a lot of the anger in Emma's normally placid and compassionate eyes.

Emma nodded, chest heaving with emotion. The organ slid back into her chest as Belle retrieved the infant. Emma accepted her tiny weight eagerly and stayed near the door. It took only a few gentle sways to quiet the babe, and the other two women breathed easily. Emma was pissed, but as long as Annabel rested in her arms, she'd not harm herself or anyone else.

"Okay, let's recapitulate," Belle said to Regina as she sat and dropped her forehead to her hand as she propped it on Regina's bed.

"I made Emma grab the wrong heart that day at the barrier. You two carried the wrong heart for nearly nine months in two different realms. We suspect that Emma's heart is a magical object in and of itself, even after death, which is how Emma managed to bring you back from the dead. Clearly, you feel Emma's unconditional love and forgiveness, and she has your anger and… sexuality. Have I missed anything?" Belle summarized the entire complicated situation in a few sentences. If only it were as simple to rectify, they would have done it by now.

Regina scratched her forehead with a sigh. "I can think of no other useful information, no. When we jumped realms, the hearts we carried identified with the soul and body in which it resided. Our main objective is to uncover the hazards of returning the hearts to the proper bodies. We know that they can be shared, but if they can't be returned properly, we'll end up controlling each other. Like Cora controlled Ruby." She glanced up at Emma's turned back as she spoke and watched her lover rock their daughter and hum lightly. Belle touched her hand supportively and Regina jerked away with a pointed scowl and hardened eyes.

"If she can't have your comfort, I don't want it either. Fix this, Belle," Regina ordered in a quiet voice that barely reached Belle's ears. The implication was clear, though neither Emma nor Regina uttered the words. She'd done this. She'd fucked up. Granted, her mistake probably brought Emma home and saved Annabel from miscarriage, but it was still a royal screw up of a major caliber.

"I'll go to Gold's shop and go through his books tonight." Belle glanced at Emma, dropped her gaze sadly, snagged her coat and disappeared in a puff of yellow smoke. Another apology would have been insulting. It had been an honest mistake, but it was slowly destroying one her of best friend's souls along with her relationship.

"Emma?" Regina called gently when her partner seemed not to have noticed Belle's departure.

Emma turned and swayed tenderly with their infant as they approached the bed. Regina smiled brightly and reached for Annabel. The pain burned her belly acutely, but she had barely held Annabel. She possessed the strength for a few minutes of baby time. Emma apparently agreed because she placed the infant in her arms without hesitation. Regina smiled at her daughter and then smiled up at Emma.

"Will you sit with me?" She asked hesitantly. The anger Emma felt was controllable, and Regina knew exactly how to help her if Emma allowed it. Emma nodded, and hovered awkwardly, unsure how to help as Regina squirmed and wiggled and edged her way to the side of the bed with her IV pole. She hit the button with her thumb and lowered the bed slightly, taking the pressure from her stomach.

"Are you in much pain?" Emma asked as she slid into the bed on her side. Bent knees rested on Regina's thigh, and she propped her head on an elbow. The words themselves expressed concern, but Emma's tone was flat and neutral, unnatural.

"A bit. I'll take some medicine soon. I just need a minute with you and Annabel. Will you hold me, Emma?" Emma stared at her stomach, unsure where to touch. Regina saved her when she reached for her hand.

"Here." She guided it around her ribs, tucked tightly against her swollen breasts. The added support beneath Annabel was a relief, and the slackening of face muscles wasn't lost on Emma. Holding Annabel hurt Regina.

"Baby, take the medicine. We can try again when you wake up," Emma pleaded with her stubborn lover. Regina shook her head.

"Just another minute. Look, Emma," she said quietly and stared at her daughter. The vein on her forehead popped with emotion and tears swam in her eyes.

"I see. We did good." Emma kissed the side of her head and then rested her forehead there as she directed her gaze to the infant. "You did good, Baby."

"She has my hair," Regina whispered around tears of joy. Emma nodded lightly against her hair.

"You can't see them now, but her eyes are the same color as mine. Addison says it's odd for babies to have such a unique eye color only days after being born." Emma informed her daughter's mother and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Emma, she's incredible. Just like Henry. Just like you." Regina took a deep breath and appreciated this moment for what it was. The tender and loving words sounded like something Emma might have said to her. She comforted Emma, built her up as she had been so many times. Emma noticed it, too, if the almost unnoticeable tightening of her hand on Regina's ribs told her anything.

"How do you do this, Regina?" Emma's voice more befitted a child than the strong, stubborn woman who bounced back from things like rubber.

"You're looking for a reason to be happy right now when the only thing you want to do is rip something apart?" Regina asked and brushed fingers through Annabel's already thick but soft black hair.

"So much that I wish Ruby would walk in that door and lay into me again," Emma answered honestly, seeking Regina's guidance.

"Take Annabel to her crib and come back to bed." Emma followed her instructions. The whine of hydraulics told her that Regina intended to take her medication and go to sleep soon. A gentle knock at the door halted her movements.

"I'm terribly sorry to disturb you. I've come to collect Annabel's empty bottles and change her bed dressings. My name is Zelena. I'll be the aide assign to Annabel's case for the next few days. It's nice to meet both of you." The woman explained her purpose and introduced herself succinctly, and Emma appreciated the directness even if something about the woman unsettled her stomach.

"Sure. Here," Emma said as she lifted Annabel and held her close as she watched the woman work. Her sickly sweet voice raised Emma's hackles, and she wanted her gone as quickly as possible. She was generally a great judge of character, but her instincts were all over the place right now, which made everyone who wasn't a member of their immediate circle into a threat.

She sensed the tension and worked quickly. Emma nodded her thanks and waited until the woman left before returning her daughter to the bed. She pulled the pink blanket to her chin with a grimace, praying Regina hadn't decorated her room in pink baby paraphernalia. The face disappeared when Annabel sucked on her fist. How had she created something so innocent, so pure?

"You think if I asked Addi, she'd have Zelena reassigned?" Emma asked as she returned to the bed and reclaimed the spot beside Regina. "I don't like her."

"Emma," Regina berated lightly. "She was perfectly pleasant."

"If you say so. I still don't like her. How do you want to work this?" Emma brushed away her concern and waved her hand between them.

"You get comfortable and let me do the rest." Emma nodded and wiggled gently until she found a spot that wasn't terrible on the hospital bed. One might have guess that they made these things with torture devices in mind. Once settled, Regina gritted her teeth and moved until their hips pressed together. Emma leaned slightly to the side and offered the crook of her shoulder as a pillow and wrapped her arm around Regina's chest just above her breast. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best they managed in the confined space under the injurious conditions. Regina pushed her button.

"I love you, Darling." Regina said after she'd settled and then took a deep breath before Emma responded. "This is how I dealt with the anger. I held you or Henry. It reminded me of all the reasons why I shouldn't allow it control. Think of it as an addiction, if that helps you understand. This is a trigger episode. You only need to fight it long enough for it to recede again." Regina explained her process and felt Emma inhale deeply against her side.

"I'll try. Thank you." She turned her head and pressed her lips into Regina's hair. "I love you, too." She whispered though Regina's even breaths told her that the chemical pain control already pulled her under.

"How can you love me if I'm not me?" She asked her slumbering partner, fear of being abandoned flaring in her chest. Regina was far too emotional with her heart to handle such violent outbursts forever. She made her cry so easily, and that was never a good thing. She clenched her fist and pushed the thought away roughly. Focus on the positive things, she reminded herself and closed her eyes. Her lungs pulled in deep, cleansing breaths through her nose, and eventually, the calming process allowed her mind to follow her lover into the peace of sleep.

Emma jerked awake when Annabel mewed. Someone had turned out the light at some point. Hospitals unnerved her for that very reason. A figure moved towards the crib, and Emma froze a moment before she pulled her dagger.

"Put it away," Ruby's voice ordered in the darkness. "I couldn't sleep after Belle got home about an hour ago. I thought you might want some help with the night time feedings so you could sleep." She explained her presence quietly as she lifted the tiny girl from her bed. Emma relaxed and glanced at Regina's features just visible in the dim street light filtering from behind the closed blinds.

"Thanks Rubes," she said and sheathed the dagger.

"It's the least I could do after the way I've treated you in past few days. Regina took another dose about ten minutes ago. She was awake when I got here." She skimmed over the apology and swayed gently as she approached the chair. The closer she came, the angrier Emma felt. Ruby must have felt it, too, because she faltered a few steps from the chair and readjusted her shoulders.

"Want to watch some T.V.?" Emma asked quickly, and Ruby nodded, barely visible in the dark.

"I think there's still an hour of 'The Golden Girls' on 54 and then 'I Love Lucy' comes on after that." She focused on the infant in her arms and the television line up rather than address their new situation.

"Sounds good," Emma agreed and punched at the buttons on the bed until the right channel appeared. The speakers pointed towards her, but Ruby's wolf hearing barely strained to make the words.

They were halfway through the second episode before Ruby spoke again. "I didn't know, Emma. I'm sorry."

"No one knew. We didn't even know. Magic always has consequences. This is ours for sharing our hearts too freely, I guess." The words belonged to Emma, but the residual anger that inspired an urge to claw at Ruby's eyes did not.

"Belle's a wreck. She turned down sex, which was a desperate last ditch effort to offer her comfort. And by turn down, I mean I was naked and fi…"

"Uh uh! No." Emma's voice was firm and ended the word vomit of helplessness. "I do not want to hear about whatever super dirty thing you did to try and rouse Belle's… interest, especially not while you hold my daughter." Emma rubbed her eyes with a thumb and forefinger and nearly laughed at her friend.

"I'm going nuts here, Em. Tomorrow is the full moon. We've sort of been otherwise occupied. You could, you know." Ruby spread her legs suggestively, and Emma's breath hitched.

"What the hell are you doing, Ruby?" Emma almost jerked upright but remembered Regina at the last second.

"This is what you do now right?" Ruby said as she returned Annabel to her crib. Fingertips trailed Emma's leg as she approached with slow, predatory steps.

"Fuck you, Ruby. You're just pissed because Regina wouldn't sleep with you while I was gone. That it? Jealous? Need to connect to that darkness Belle doesn't have? Well, too fucking bad. She's mine." Emma taunted the wolf stupidly, knowing the words only aggravated the problem.

She maintained eye contact, challenging the wolf woman even as her breath hitched when a firm hand cupped her throbbing center. Ruby grinned wickedly and inhaled her arousal deeply. Her eyes flashed yellow.

Emma jerked upright and grabbed her chest. Regina moaned at her side but remained semi-conscious for the most part. A live television audience laughed by her elbow and she jumped again. Ruby was gone, but Annabel mewed and demanded her night time feeding. One light was on behind them, casting a yellow glow over the otherwise dark room. Emma dropped her face to her hands and breathed deeply. A dream. She'd had a fucking dream about Ruby. An extremely vivid and fucked up dream about Ruby. She must have turned the television on during a bleary and sleep-hazed moment that she wasn't able to remember. What the fuck?

She pushed from the bed and fixed a bottle of formula with hands shaking from fading adrenaline. Annabel took to the nipple instantly when she touched it to her bottom lip. She patted her butt absently and stood by the crib as her daughter ate. Halfway through the bottle, she calmed enough to glance at Regina. The recovering woman stared at her and blinked slowly, clearly forcing herself awake.

"Nightmare?" Regina croaked. She snagged the foam cup of water from the table with uncoordinated fingers and took a long sip.

"How can you tell?" Emma asked and readjusted the bottle. Regina returned the cup and swiped her hand down her face. She was as exhausted as Emma.

"I've seen that look a thousand times in my mirror." Her hand slightly muffled the words, but they were clear enough. "Want to talk about it?" She offered with a small smile. It grew when Emma pulled Annabel to her shoulder and gently tapped her back. She was a natural with children, even babies.

"Ruby showed up. We watched T.V. She went all wolfy and tried to seduce me. She's running tonight, right?" Regina nodded and then shook her head.

"Not unless Granny is with the kids. Belle went to Gold's earlier to look through his books. I highly doubt she's taken a break. Would it help to call and check?" Regina asked, and then glanced up at the clock across the room. It was late, or early depending on how one approached the topic.

"No, there's no need to wake anyone up. I trust them to figure it out. I'm okay. It was just really vivid. That's all. I've had about one a week for the past nine months, so I'm pretty used to them by now. Maybe it was just freakier because now I know why." Emma babbled. Annabel burped, and she sighed in relief. Her arms were spent from holding her so long while standing up and perfectly still.

"Do you want to hold her?" Emma offered since Regina was awake anyway. Regina shook her head.

"I do, but I'm going to fall asleep soon. Maybe just a kiss?" She negotiated with hopeful eyes. Emma moved to the bed without comment and held Annabel next to Regina's face.

"Hey there, beautiful girl," Regina whispered against the soft scalp of her daughter. She touched Emma's hip with one hand and brushed Annabel's short hair with the other as she held her lips to the soft skin for a lingering moment. Tears burned the back of her throat as Emma's love swelled in her chest. She was going to miss that when they figured this mess out. Though her love for Henry and Emma already overwhelmed her, it paled next to Emma's.

"I love you. Goodnight, sweet girl," Regina cooed and then reluctantly laid back in the bed. She longed for the day when she recovered enough to start breastfeeding their daughter.

Emma nodded, checking that Regina had actually finished saying goodnight to the baby before returning her to the crib. She leaned over and repeated a nearly identical process with the babe and then crawled back into the bed. Like before, Regina waited for her to quit squirming and then leaned against her. She punched her medication button and squeezed Emma's toned thigh with the other hand. Lips dropped to the side of her head, and both women gave themselves back to the world of sleep to the sound of a theme song from their favorite late night television show.

It wasn't perfect, but if Belle discovered hidden dangers in claiming their rightful hearts, this moment gave them the desperately needed hope that they'd learn to live with the changes together.


	21. Fate

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: And We Run by Within Temptation, You Always Believed by In This Moment

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><p>"Belle, when was the last time you slept?" Emma asked her friend when her head jerked to attention for the third time in the past three minutes.<p>

As she had for the past three mornings, Belle visited without Ruby for about an hour and explained her magical findings, which wasn't much. She held Annabel and checked on the status of Emma's painstakingly slowly developing control on Regina's rage the remaining time. Regina divulged the morning after her tryst with Amelia that she often used painful sex as a deterrent for the rage, so she also inquired about any other liaisons Emma may have partook the previous night. The seriousness and professionalism with which she asked the question made Emma laugh every time, but she saw the merit behind the question and answered it anyway.

"I took a nap yesterday around noon," Belle said with a hint of embarrassment in her voice. Emma narrowed her eyes and readjusted her grip on Annabel's bottle.

"Uh huh. And that was in a bed and not at your desk at the library?" She eyed her friend with knowing eyes, and Belle sucked her lips into her mouth and raised her eyebrows as if to say "whoops."

"Lay down on the cot, woman. Regina's off getting tests and scans and god knows what else. Take a nap here. I'll wake you up when she gets back." Emma jerked her head towards the small rollaway that hadn't seen her drool on the pillow since the day before she'd been with Amelia.

"I'm okay. I'll go home after this and lay down. I promise." If she were honest, her body screamed at her for sleep. Every nerve ending ached with exhaustion and reminded her of the desperately needed rest she'd deprived her mind because of guilt and determination to rectify the mistake she unknowingly made.

"Belle, you can't drive like this." With a sigh, she hefted her daughter to her shoulder. Her body bounced intuitively as she tapped the infant's back.

"I'll have sex with you, Emma." Belle blurted, and Emma choked on the breath she'd inhaled. Annabel protested the noise in her ear with a flailing arm, and Emma sucked air with a red face and flushed chest.

"What the actual fuck are you talking about? Has lack of sleep made you delirious?" Emma clung to the lighthearted mood that had oddly surrounded them this morning. Belle's presence clawed at her heart as it always did, but it felt more manageable this morning.

"If you need to, I mean." She took a deep breath and propped her forehead to the dip between her thumb and forefinger. "I already spoke with Ruby. Regina is out of commission for at least six weeks, longer for the rough stuff that you clearly need. We both know I can take it. We both know I enjoy sex for the sake of sex, and I think we're both mature enough to handle it and remain friends if it comes to that." Clearly, Belle thought this through and covered all points of counterargument.

Emma never doubted that with Regina's heart in her chest she and Belle certainly created an explosive combination of sexual aggression, but Belle obviously made the offer out of guilt and obligation, not genuine desire. Her resigned tone and hesitant expression clawed at the heart in Emma's chest for an entirely different reason. Belle only wanted Ruby. Despite her perceived reputation as a loose canon should Ruby ever fall short, that moment told Emma that Belle wasn't a sex addict like she'd previously and wrongly assumed. She was addicted to sex with the woman she loved, not necessarily sex itself. She probably had never considered another partner once she and Ruby muddled through the earlier stages of their relationship.

"Belle, I don't want to have sex with anyone but Regina and her permission for that has been rescinded anyway. Thank you for the offer, but I especially do not want to have sex with you," Emma said with a playful wink that pulled their earlier good mood back.

"And why not?" Belle demanded haughtily, though the skin around her eyes loosened with relief. Emma laughed out loud at the reaction, having completely expected it and been surprised anyway.

"Woman, you are a mere mortal with the same tolerance to pain as me, and you took on a werewolf hyped up on full moon and dance juice and emerged still walking. You had to shut down the library for a week, and you made a freaking wolf limp for two days. I'd be in here with Regina if we went after each other with the energy I have pent up right now because I wholeheartedly believe you would hurt me in a way that wasn't fixable." Emma laughed. Annabel belched a hefty amount of air and nasty spit. Belle smirked.

"So, you are saying I'm too much woman for you," Belle caught onto the levity of the moment and rode it with her friend. The joke felt much better than delving into the darker reasons behind her offer.

"Hell yes," Emma admitted without shame and returned the girl to her crib so she could wipe her mouth and dispose of the soiled towel she'd had over her shoulder.

"Now lay your ass down and take a nap or I'm calling Ruby to come pick you up." She pointed behind her to the cot as she leaned over Annabel. Belle huffed an obstinate sigh but obeyed her anyway. Emma lifted Annabel from her bed and jiggled her as she approached the cot.

Belle rolled to her side and scooted near the edge when she realized that Emma intended to lay the infant beside her as added incentive. Evil, evil savior. She tucked a fist beneath her chin and wrapped the other around Annabel's tiny ribs. The tip of her middle finger tickled at her niece's tiny hand until it grasped at the sensation. Belle smiled brightly, eyes already drooping as the stress drained from her mind.

"You won't let me roll on her?" She asked drowsily as Emma sat cross-legged on the floor facing her daughter.

"I'll move her when you drift off." Belle seemed satisfied with the answer and closed her eyes. Less than a minute later, soft, even breaths puffed across Annabel's dark hair. Belle clearly hadn't slept more than her naps in random places since uncovering the truth of their switched hearts.

Emma rested her forearm on the cot and held her daughter's tiny leg, thumb brushing absently over her knee. Anger came haltingly towards Belle's carelessness when the reality of their daughter's existence stared them in the face. Regina gave up on them in the past few weeks of Emma's idiocy leading up to Annabel's birth. In that time, all of the symptoms that generally presented earlier during pregnancy suddenly surfaced and nearly took both of them from this world.

How long would Regina have clung to belief in their reunion without her heart in The Enchanted Forest? Long enough for both of them to have been gravely endangered by the pregnancy. She'd have lost them and never knew it and spent the rest of her life searching for something that no longer existed. That's only if she herself survived when her heart's magic finally ran out.

"Hey," a soft voice called from the door. Emma smiled up at Amelia's hushed tone and shifty eyes. She searched for Ruby's presence, which usually came with Belle's

"She's not here," Emma said with a grin. Amelia breathed bodily and joined Emma on the floor.

She and Ruby avoided each other as much as Amelia avoided the angry and overprotective wolf. At five every evening, Emma waited outside the room until Ruby's stalking figure appeared at the end of the hallway and then retreated to the other side. They repeated the process when Ruby departed at 6:30. She always waited until Ruby disappeared into the room before taking off for Amelia's office. They moved their meetings to the common/break room set up for doctors on this wing and talked over coffee. Emma found she greatly appreciated having a confidante outside the tight group they created. Plus, they'd already had sex, so the awkward stage of "hey, I want to hug you, where should I put my hands?" got skipped completely.

"Addison says she's been researching 24/7." Amelia nodded at Belle and slipped her hand around Emma's knee. The doctors knew of Emma and Regina's heart swap, and they trusted them to keep their tongues in their mouths.

The blonde smiled at her comfortably. Amelia spoke truthfully when she offered friendship. The attraction remained naturally, but their innocent and supportive touches weren't filled with tension or unfulfilled desire. They were exactly what they appeared to be, friendly and comfortable affection between two women who had seen more shit than they knew how to handle.

"She has been. She's an incredible friend and human being," Emma praised the slumbering woman as she studied her almost peaceful face.

"Can I hold Annabel?" Amelia asked and bumped their shoulders together. With fierce concentration, Emma lifted Belle's hand from her daughter's belly and then lowered it after Amelia retrieved the infant and crossed to the window.

"I couldn't even look at a baby for the longest time," she confessed quietly and offered her thumb to Annabel's tiny fist as replacement for Belle's finger she searched for but could no longer find.

"How come?" Emma asked and crossed her arms as she leaned into the wall near the window. Amelia's haunted brown eyes flicked to hers and then back to Annabel's face.

"While you and Regina were in Boston, I had a baby. I was so excited." She paused and gathered her emotions. "I got completely clean. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done. Several months into the pregnancy, I discovered that his brain would never develop. The stem was there, but…" She swallowed, and Emma rubbed her back.

"I heard about that, but I didn't know it was you. I'm so sorry, Amelia. You donated as much as possible, right?" Emma pushed her through the pain, made her face the facts. It was one of the reasons she appreciated Emma beyond her spectacular sexual abilities. She never coddled her but made her feel as though she was strong enough to accept everything in her life. Would she still be that person when she reclaimed her rightful heart?

"I called him unicorn baby," she laughed around her tears and dropped a kiss to Annabel's head. Emma smiled compassionately. "He saved thirteen other babies. I don't regret the decision, but I miss him." Amelia sniffed and chuckled at herself.

"I'm sorry, Emma. You have so much happening in your life right now. You don't need my burdens on top of that." She retreated, and Emma followed before the door slammed in her face.

"Hey." She wrapped her hand around the back of surgeon's neck and pressed a kiss to her hair just above her ear and then rested her forehead there. "I like it when you open up. Believe it or not, it makes all of this," she pulled back and waved her hand around the room, "better."

"Ruby, Belle, Regina and I have been through so much weird crap that it's actually kinda nice to just talk about normal problems of this world. Like addiction and unicorn babies." Emma smiled, and Amelia laughed emotionally but with a glimmer of lightheartedness. They shared a smile of kinship.

"I know what you mean. I haven't had a drink or a pill since that night. You still doing okay in that department?" She pushed through the tears and grief of losing her child and loved Emma Swan all the more for it. She truly hoped they maintained a friendship when things were set right between her and Regina's hearts.

"I'm ready to rip into something and either fuck it silly or tear it apart with my bare hands. Other than that, I'm adjusting. This might be permanent, so I need to learn how to deal with it without using." Amelia raised an eyebrow with an amused expression.

"I realized that doesn't actually answer your question." Emma snorted and averted her eyes to the snowy scene outside. Damn Maine snowed a lot. "I'm struggling. Finally being able to hold Regina every night helps. It would help a lot more if she got me off, but I haven't asked and she hasn't offered. We don't normally give pleasure exclusively, but I think I need her to or I need to go pick a fight with Ruby." Emma bit the inside of her jaw and pushed away the guilt at her perceived selfishness.

"That wouldn't take much," Amelia commented bitterly and touched her throat with her free hand. Ruby showed up at her office the day after she and Emma had sex and threatened her.

"She shouldn't have done that, Amelia. I'm sorry." Amelia waved off the apology. Emma hadn't attacked her… well, not like that anyway.

"I don't think its selfish for you to ask Regina for sex. Her recovery is going to take nearly two months before she can safely have sex, and that's only including gentle, making sweet sweet love type sex. Under normal circumstance, I might have considered it selfish, but apparently, nothing about you can be normal. The heart of the former Evil Queen bonded with your soul, Emma.

"That's a helluva lot of rage, and if sex helps you deal, then that's what helps you deal. You can't control what does and doesn't work. Good god, Arizona had someone stab her fake leg with a scalpel because she had phantom pains during surgery. It was scary as fuck for everyone watching, but it worked. The brain is so complex. That's why I love it so much. There's still so much to be discovered." Bliss spread over her features as she spoke about her work. Emma smiled, genuinely happy that the woman found solace in the profession she'd been cursed into.

"There are a lot of studies linking anger and sex," she said suddenly and moved to the crib, placing Annabel in it gently.

"It has to do with the adrenaline and endorphins, pumping blood and pounding hearts and heightened strokes of emotion. It makes the thrust of daily life impale a bit more deeply, propels the pistons of the heart in and out a bit faster and harder." She hit each plosive and sexual word with extra emphasis, her voice a sensual purr. Emma bit her bottom lip.

"You're a bitch." Emma groused when her stomach muscles clenched at the imagery flying through her mind.

"I'm a bitch who wants Regina's fingers in you, not a needle." Amelia said across the crib and brushed Annabel's hair softly.

"I concur," Regina's dark voice called from the doorway. Amelia jumped as though she'd been zapped in the ass with a magic bolt and clasped her hands behind her back. Regina raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Emma moved forward and helped her from the wheelchair to the bed. She healed and moved more everyday, and it made Emma's heart soar with joy. She needed her family intact and in good health. Regina's recovery and Annabel's feedings gave her something to focus on, but it also hindered her from fully addressing the changes in her personality.

"How are you feeling, Regina? No dizzy spells or memory lapses or other general zombie-like behavior?" Amelia immediately hid behind her facetious question rather than deal with the fact that only four nights ago she'd had her tongue inside Regina's fiancée.

Thus far, Regina withheld comment and judgment on the subject. She truly had given Emma consent. It was sort of beautiful that she trusted Emma that much, trusted their love that much. That simple fact told her more than anything else that somehow her new friend and old magic buddy had found a way to love each other despite their obstacles.

"Nothing of the sort. Will you please go read my scans and release me from this torture chamber. I wish to sleep in my own bed." Regina groused at the neurosurgeon.

It'd been nearly a week since her surgery, and no further complications arose during that time. Her catheter had been removed four days ago. She walked with minimal assistance and had been given soft foods since yesterday. She was fine, and the fuss and bustle of the hospital grated on her nerves more harshly every second she remained awake. The time had come for her entire family to reside under one roof. Emma and Ruby simply needed to find a way to deal with each other.

"Has Addison and Eva been by yet?" Regina shook her head as she dropped it to her hand. Tears burned her eyes, and the other hand wiped at them furiously. Emma's tender heart, while powerful and amazing in her own chest, often left Regina emotional and crying over the silliest things. She cried yesterday because her pudding had been vanilla instead of chocolate. Lauren had immediately rectified the situation for a floundering Emma.

"Hey, look, I'll go read your scans right now and page them to my office. Maybe we can get you out of here this afternoon. Annabel is ready to go when you are. Sound good?" Amelia squeezed her calf as she spoke and then rubbed her leg when Regina raised her head with grateful eyes and hiccupped. Amelia might have laughed at the dramatic reaction if she hadn't known the true reason behind them. Every time she became frustrated, she cried instead of lashing out with haughty anger and painfully clever retorts.

"Thanks, Amelia," Emma answered as she slid into the bed beside Regina and eagerly accepted her partner against her chest. Amelia nodded and left the room quickly and silently. Belle remained unconscious on the cot. She must have truly needed the sleep if she slipped under so far that the outburst two feet from went unnoticed.

"Emma," she gasped, caught her breath, coughed.

"I'm here, Baby. I'm not going anywhere, and neither are Belle and Ruby and Henry. They'll be right there when you're ready to go home." Emma reassured the distraught woman before she even asked. Apparently, Regina also inherited her abandonment issues. They weren't as pronounced before, but Emma broke the curse and reunited their hearts and love. It intensified everything, but they hadn't realized how much until Regina healed enough to go with low grade doses of medication that hadn't quite succeeded in knocking her out cold the majority of the day.

"I want Annabel," Regina sobbed. Emma nodded and moved to retrieve the infant. Clawed fingers tore into her arm painfully, and Emma hissed. "Where are you going?" Emma pulled a calming breath through her noise and then another and then another.

"I'm going to get Annabel. It's three feet away. It will take me ten seconds." Emma explained in the calmest voice available and fought the urge to jerk her hand from Regina's grasp. The witch nodded and watched each move like a hawk while Emma wasn't within her reach.

She released a shuddering breath and accepted the infant in her arms greedily. Emma sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and beneath the arm holding their daughter, lips pressing to the side of her head. Their lives were so fucked up.

"Why is she sleeping?" Regina asked suddenly. "Why isn't she out there figuring out how to fix this?" Her free hand flailed at the sleeping librarian, and Emma never doubted for one second that she might have taken to Belle with her fingernails had the woman been close enough.

"Regina, leave her alone. She's running herself ragged already. She feels bad enough without you screaming at her about her shortcomings. It's the best she can do right now. Let her sleep or she's going to be useless." Emma squeezed her eyes shut tightly and held her forehead to Regina's cheek and prayed that Regina dropped it.

"It's not good enough," Regina sniped quietly. Emma released the breath she'd been holding. The librarian's nap upset Regina, but her lowered voice meant she allowed it for now.

"Hey, Babe, remember when we realized that breaking the curse intensified our emotions, and we promised each other to always point out when we were being irrational?" Regina gritted her teeth but nodded. "You're being irrational," Emma deadpanned and then winced, praying that more tears not follow the statement.

"I'm sorry," Regina apologized and sniffed but collected her emotions. Emma tightened her grip and released the frustration building in her system with a deep breath and a sigh.

"Don't be sorry. Just please don't yell at Belle," Emma pleaded on their friend's behalf. Silence encased them as the foreign emotions receded under their physical closeness.

"Regina, I need to have sex," Emma blurted and then twitched uncomfortably.

"With Amelia?"

"With you," Emma countered immediately and readjusted her position in order to make eye contact. "I know it's not fair to ask, but…" her gaze dropped to her lap. "It helped."

"Emma, when we made love before this, you derived most of your emotional satisfaction from giving instead of receiving, right?" Emma nodded. They'd never discussed it before, but apparently, Regina paid attention.

"Addison assures me that I'll have my staples out next week. Perhaps then we can revisit this conversation? Can you survive that long? I assure you that nothing aerobic will take place until I am completely healed, but your gentle touches always took the edge off. I can do this for you, Emma." Regina found strength in comforting her partner. That was what Emma felt when she blubbered about like a fool and soaked her chest with tears. Emma felt empowered and needed by giving her comfort, which was why she never tired of it.

"Thank you," Emma said with a small, quiet voice. If Regina's sexuality always felt like such a burden, no wonder she hesitated when asking for pleasure as if she could be rejected at any moment. Emma felt certain many had rejected her. She'd said no plenty of times in Salem when she'd been too tired or distracted, not that she hadn't wanted to or felt frustrated at Regina's seemingly constant need. Life simply got in the way, much like it did right now.

"We're being tested," Regina theorized after a moment. "I've not put much stock in fate and all of the nonsense that came with it until I found you, but this feels like a test. I lost my love once before, perhaps whatever power-that-is felt we needed a test. No one knows exactly where magic comes from or why it chooses particular people to wield it naturally. It can be taken artificially with objects such as The Dark One's dagger, but the origin of natural magic is a complete mystery. It chose us for a reason, and now I feel as though I'm being tested because I lost my love. What if I'm not strong enough to be the soul mate of The Truest Believer?"

Emma digested the flow of words quietly before speaking. What Regina said had merit, but she poked holes in the theory in her mind before revealing them to Regina. She found only one.

"We make our own fate, Regina. The only reason we will ever have to walk away from each other is if we make that decision. You made the decision to walk away from Robin Hood all those years ago and everyday since his appearance in Storybrooke. We made the decision to pursue this relationship." Emma broached the subject lightly, even though she wanted to beat the man with a green birch switch until his back bled.

"You know about that?" Regina's eye widened with surprise.

"Tink has a big mouth. The point is that we make our own decisions, and I'm here. I am right here and I am making the decision to stay and be loyal to you and seek only your touch and take care of our family. We learned to deal with the flaws in our own hearts, and we can learn to deal with the same in each other's. This might be a test, but I don't buy into the whole fate thing. It's just a test, like any other couple might have.

"There isn't some omnipotent being waiting to rip us apart if we make a mistake. You're going to cry, and I'm going to get angry. Storybrooke is going to fling poo at us. Speaking of, I'm pretty sure someone already did." Emma sniffed at their daughter. Regina wrinkled her nose. Too bad her sophistication hadn't rubbed off on the pretty blonde.

Her antics made her smile, though. She was still Emma, just angrier and hornier.

Regina handed Annabel over carefully. "I need to pump anyway. Would you hand it to me, Darling?" Emma juggled the infant to one arm and pulled Regina's bag from the small closet with the other. She eyed it wearily and then retreated to crib to change Annabel.

"Don't tell me that breast pumps unnerve you, too." Regina bit her lip and snorted once when the color drained from Emma's face and she presented her back as she changed Annabel's diaper.

She finished in time to turn around and watch Regina flip the switch on the pump. A hand flew to her stomach, and she swallowed thickly. "I'm gonna go for a walk." She took two steps towards the bed with the intention of kissing Regina, grunted at the pump, and bolted for the door, snagging her coat on the way out. Regina chuckled darkly. Something from every step of this process freaked Emma out in one way or another without any real explanation why.

Regina glanced at Belle. The whine of the pump went completely unnoticed by the sleeping librarian. Emma was right. Belle had gone as far as possible without breaking to care for herself. Movement at the door caught her attention, and she glanced up. Zelena entered with a smile, and Regina returned it. Emma was right. The woman felt off, no matter how much Regina tried to make herself like the woman. She'd done nothing untoward or rude or malicious, but she raised her hackles. Warning bells blared when she closed the door.

"Hello sister," she greeted sweetly.

"Belle!" Regina pulled a fireball to her hand and woke the other woman. She jerked at the sudden loud voice, saw the fireball, slapped her hand into Regina's… almost. Zelena flicked her fingers with an almost bored expression on her face. They immobilized before their magic combined. Belle's anguished blue eyes met hers.

Regina struggled, but Zelena's magic far outmatched her own, perhaps even hers and Belle's combined. Very real fear tore through her veins. Her eyes followed Zelena to Annabel's crib. She reached desperately for Emma's heart magic, but without Emma's activation, it remained dormant, locked inside the powerful organ. How had Emma activated it? Love and rage. Regina's chest heaved in her focus. She had no rage. It was gone, stuck in Emma's chest.

Zelena touched Annabel's hair, and a flicker of anger ignite in her stomach. If Emma felt enough anger to activate it the first time, then surely the former Evil Queen mustered at least that much with or without her heart. Emma hadn't been in her right mind, though. She'd been sleep deprived and tortured and broken… and scared.

"Oh Regina, stop struggling. Rumpelstiltskin may have chosen you, but I have always been superior." Zelena laughed and raised Annabel from her crib.

Fear burned where anger should have been, and tears stung Regina's eyes. Something inside of her snapped. Her hand jerked towards Belle's, froze again. It wasn't rage that trigger Emma's magic. It was fear. She'd simply masked it with anger. Emma's magic burned in chest, just a bit more. She knew Belle immediately began pulling on the earth's energy the moment she froze. By the time she broke free enough to connect them, the librarian would be juiced enough to blow up the entire hospital.

"Since I'm here, I'll take that pesky heart off your hands." She returned the infant to the crib and pulled a long green glove from her hand.

"It's a shame, really, that you'll no longer exist after today. I always wanted a sister. The courage of a dark warrior with a clean soul. The reformed heart of a black witch." Zelena clicked her tongue and touched Regina's with her fingertips.

"There aren't many of you. It's a bit poetical that the very curse intended to erase you from existence also requires your heart, don't you think?" Zelena asked as though she spoke about the menu changes at Granny's. She was clearly insane, revealing her endgame before obtaining the object she needed. More fear tugged at Emma's magic. Her hand edged closer to Belle's. Regina winced, muscles quivering with the effort. Zelena laughed, tossing her head back, and then shoved her hand into Regina's chest.

"Mother should have chosen me," she whispered inches from Regina's face. She took her time, made it hurt. Regina determined not to give her the satisfaction of seeing it and held eye contact coldly. No one took Emma's heart but Emma and Regina. She'd revealed herself for nothing. Regina reached for the organ with her magic, but it remained untouchable.

Zelena jerked her up bodily and then dropped her to the bed. Her eyes widened in shock. Regina touched Belle's hand. Their magic rushed together. Belle gasped. Regina sneered and pulled everything the librarian had. Belle juiced her freely, knowing Regina was more powerful than she.

"No! That's not possible!" Zelena yelled.

"I'm an only child, lady," Regina reminded the clearly deranged sorceress, held out her hand and sent an energy blast into her.

The witch held up her hands and met Regina's swirl of yellow and purple with a puff of green energy effectively. Regina glanced at her daughter wailing in her crib.

"Activate, damn you!" She yelled at Emma's heart. Energy crackled as Zelena defended herself adequately. Belle panted and clung to her hand. Nails dug into the flesh of her forearm when Belle grabbed her with the other hand and loosed a hollow scream of pain. Her spindled magic had run out, and she tapped her life force. Zelena was too powerful.

Between Belle's anguish howls and Annabel's terrified wailing, Emma's heart snapped to attention. Love and fear, a heady rush of it tore through her system. A weak stream of neon blue spark joined violet and yellow.

Someone pounded at the door. "Regina!" Thump. Emma must have slammed into it bodily.

She pushed forward with one last surge. Zelena grunted and flew through the plate glass window behind her. Cold gusted and snow whipped onto the floor. Belle slumped onto the bed. The door flew open. Emma met her eyes, speaking silently, and then rushed to Annabel. She unzipped her coat and wrapped the infant inside, protecting her from the cold.

"What the hell happened? I was down the hall. I heard you scream." Emma demanded, but Regina shook Belle, completely ignoring her.

"Belle?" Shake. No response. "Belle!" Violently trembling fingers pressed to the librarian's neck. With a sob, Regina pulled back and covered her face.

"She's alive," she gasped, relief filling her soul. She touched a hand tenderly to Belle's hair and then met Emma's scared green eyes. The unconscious woman had a massive migraine waiting for her when she woke.

"Regina, what happened?" Emma rocked Annabel, but the infant refused to settle, probably because Emma focused only half her attention on her.

"Zelena's the witch who took Ruby's courage. She wanted my heart," Regina said, but her distant gaze told Emma that she spoke more to herself than her. "Ingredients for a spell?"

She winced at the sharp pain in her breast and switched off the pump. It was such an odd thing to do after what just happened. With numbed and slowed motions, she reached into her gown and detached the suction cup, attached it to her other breast, and switched the pump back on. The actions made no sense to her fuzzy and scrambled brain, but she did them anyway. Emma grabbed her chin and forced her eyes to hers.

"Regina, what the hell happened in here. I was gone two minutes!" Emma demanded, anger flaring in her eyes. The entire scene looked like something from a movie. Emma sputtered when her partner only stared. Regina was in shock. Her stupid heart stripped away the anger that pushed her forward. Regina was helpless, and acid burned through Emma's veins.

Regina shivered and looked at the broken window as if only realizing why cold air and snow gusted around them. She waved her hand at the glass. It clinked and scraped as it reassembled itself, shutting out February air of Maine. She doubted very much that Zelena's body lay below on the sidewalk anyway. Her magic disabled both her and Belle without straining. If she hadn't tapped Emma's heart, Zelena would have killed Belle. Zelena most definitely disappeared and now licked her wounds at a safe location.

"I can't stop her, Emma. She's too powerful. My magic… we combined magic…" Regina clamped her mouth shut when Lauren ran into the room. Apparently, everyone else froze in fear and gawked in the hallway. Lauren glared at them.

"Page Zambrano, Montgomery and Shepherd now!" She yelled and then slammed the door shut.

"Annabel?" She pointed to the baby even as she moved to Belle's side.

"She's okay," Emma said and focused on the infant, rocking her with renewed fervor. Still Annabel mewed. Lauren nodded, trusting the mother to put her child first and then lowered Belle to cot. She checked her pulse and listened to her lungs.

"She's weak, but she's okay," the nurse diagnosed quickly as if she were a doctor and finally turned to Regina.

"You're bleeding." she pointed to a spot on Regina's gown. She raised it with one hand and smacked the button on the pump with the flat of her hand.

"Sorry, I don't like noise," she explained. She zoned out as she focused on Regina's incision sight.

"Emma, go to the nurse's desk and tell someone to get in here with a cart. Actually, just bring the damn cart. Fucking cowards make me sick." Lauren grated, and then touched Regina's hand gently, soothing the scared woman.

Anger boiled the heart in Emma's chest. This never should have happened. She should have been there. She sneered at the hospital staff as she grabbed the cart and moved back to the room without shutting the door. Let them see her wailing infant and the women they were too afraid to help getting the care they deserved. The care they fucking earned saving their pathetic asses over and over again.

"Hey, you're okay. It's just a couple of pulled staples." Lauren met Regina's gaze with compassionate and caring eyes as they waited, and Regina nodded, taking comfort in the nurse's opinion. Eva clearly mentored her in everything. "We may not even have to put them back in. I'll let Eva decide when she gets here."

"She's here," Eva announced as she entered, pulling purple gloves into place. Lauren switched places and pulled the cart closer. One hand fell to the back of Eva's neck and the other pulled supplies from the cart.

"No, this needs restapled. See the gap here," Eva said. A syringe of local anesthetic appeared by her hand, and she smiled up at Lauren. Emma squinted at the two but withheld comment as she took Regina's hand. The rage in chest burned far too brightly for words.

Addison appeared in a clatter of heels, and everyone jumped. She froze, eyes glued to the fireball aimed at her head. Regina closed her fist, extinguishing the flame. The doctor moved slowly to a now quieted Annabel and took her gently from Emma's arms to be examined. Emma allowed it, an odd calm settling over her. The same process repeated when Amelia stumbled into the room, except she only raised an eyebrow at the flame without stopping and rushed to Emma's side.

"What happened?" She demanded in her quietly fierce way. Eva glanced up at her and lowered the bed slowly. Emma moved to Regina's head and smoothed her hair with gentle and controlled movements. Everyone seemed to breath easier, knowing Emma's anger was somehow controlled.

"Zelena attacked Regina. I need you to call Ruby and get her here. Belle is hurt. After that…" Emma paused when Regina hissed at the needle sinking into her wound. "Shh. It's okay, Baby," she whispered and pressed a kiss to Regina's temple.

"After that?" Amelia prompted. Eyes stared at Emma at all angles.

"First, we're going to make some potions. And then," she straightened and faced Amelia who recoiled at the violet hue where Emma's green eyes should have been.

"We're going to destroy the bitch after my family."


	22. Emma Fucking Swan

Thank you for the reviews, sweet doves! I love your feedback, so please keep it coming. I've been super excited to share this chapter with you since I started this new journey, so…

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Innocence by Halestorm, Standing Alone by In This Moment

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><p>Amelia glanced around at the faces of her friends and coworkers. Each one of them held different emotions, but they all told her not to indulge Emma's rage. She met Emma's violet eyes and pulled out her phone. The air felt thick, like they all moved in water. Her chest heaved as she held Emma's gaze and brought the phone to her ear.<p>

"Ruby? Shut up. Belle's been hurt. Come to the hospital. Regina's room." She ended the call and tapped the corner of the device against her lips. One side of her mouth twitched and then pulled into a half smirk.

"Whatcha got in mind, Savior?" She asked darkly. Emma grinned.

She held her hands together and then spread them in a mock explosion. "Boom."

"Emma," Regina grabbed her hand. "Don't do this. Don't give into this anger. We may not get you back." The terror in her voice fed the acid in her veins. Regina belonged to her, and Zelena threatened her and Annabel and Belle. They were all hers.

"I can do boom," Amelia said, ignoring Regina's desperate plea.

Emma grabbed the front of her shirt in a fist and pulled them together bodily. "What do you need?" Everyone twitched and pressed away from the duo. This happened whether they wanted it to or not.

"Gold's shop is a good place to start. He has ingredients and books. Close your eyes, picture a specific place, and activate your magic." Amelia instructed her. Emma listened carefully and obeyed. If anyone had bothered to instruct her, she wouldn't have jumped into this mission so blindly.

"Amelia," Addison warned.

"Shut it, Addi." Her mind set, she gripped Emma's shoulders, not wanting to miss her ride.

"Gold's shop. Gold's shop. Gold's shop." Emma repeated over and over in her head.

Regina quelled the urge to say more to Emma, fearing her lapse in concentration led to them landing in a wall or physically disfigured. Once again, Emma played with things she barely understood. She gasped when Emma and Amelia disappeared in puff of violet smoke. Her chest rocked up and down under the force of her inhalation and gasp.

"Give me my phone!" She ordered, attempting to sit up. Hands held her in place.

"Regina, if you go after her, you're going to do far more harm than good to your body. Do you like sex? Do you like producing hormones that prevent you from going into menopause? If the answer to those questions is yes, then you need to calm down before you rip something else." Addison ordered the struggling woman.

Regina breathed deeply and nodded. Why had she never learned how to heal wounds? Right, she'd been untouchable and cared nothing for the wellbeing of others. Honing compassionate magic also ranked lowest on Rumpelstiltskin's list of perversion. Lauren handed Regina her phone, and she speed dialed Emma.

"What?" Came the gruff greeting of her hyped up lover juiced on rage and dark magic.

"Did you teleport successfully?" Regina asked, ignoring the ache in her heart.

"I answered the phone, didn't I?" Emma groused and ended the call. She looked at Amelia and fought the urge to break something. Amelia laughed and pushed the chair off of her chest.

"Diagon Alley!" She shouted and jumped to her feet, offering Emma her hands.

"I fucking hate everyone from The Enchanted Forest," Emma stated sardonically and slapped her hands away as she found her feet. They totally crashed the front of Gold's shop when they landed.

Amelia rolled her eyes and brazenly led the way to the back of the shop where Rumpel stored his personal pantry of potions and ingredients . She ripped open cabinets and drawers, obviously looking for something specific. She reached a locked and pulled at it with a growl of frustration.

"Blast it," she ordered.

"How?" Emma asked. She'd witnessed Regina blow up several things and held her hand in the same position. She pulled on the cord of rage snapped tight in her mind and imaged the lock melting. The steel sagged, melted, clattered to the floor. Emma smiled triumphantly.

"Not exactly a blast, but whatever melts your butter." Amelia shrugged and pulled the sleeve of her shirt over her hand and grabbed the heated handle.

A blast of magic smacked into her chest, and Emma caught the brunt of her weight in her chest, barely keeping them upright. She pushed Amelia aside, uncaring that the woman fell into a table and knocked things to the floor as she caught herself. Emma focused on the band of hatred in her chest and pressed her hands into the door. Foreign magic pressed against her, Rumpelstilskin's magic. Regina was stronger than he. She witnessed that with her own eyes.

"Open, you dirty fucking son of a whore!" She yelled at the cabinet, fighting against the protective magic with new rage. The doors creaked and growled. Emma growl back. They flew open with a bang.

"Holy shit," Amelia muttered and stared at the vast array of potions at their disposal. His supply probably sufficed without extra from her rusty hand.

"We need something to protect Regina. Something to protect you. Something to heal Belle's damage chi, life force, whatever Regina sucked out of her if he's got it." Emma ordered her new follower. Amelia snorted and then laughed outright.

"I knew his hair wasn't naturally that pretty." She squealed like a school girl and held up a half used vial of blue liquid beside her cheek.

"Seriously?" Emma deadpanned and stared with dropped jaw as Amelia opened the vial without fear and dumped some into her hand. She set the glass container on the counter and then worked the liquid into her hair sensually.

"Oh! Herbal Essence!" Emma laughed as the ridiculous commercial flooded into her mind of the woman in the shower making sex noises while washing her hair. Her lips pursed, eyebrows rose when Amelia's hair immediately turned shiny and straight and detangled with a perfect wave.

"Riiiight?" She grinned and then flipped her hair. "You can changed the color with a spoken enchantment, too. Okay, focus." She rubbed her hands together and studied her arsenal.

"Oh, yack." Her nose wrinkled. "Oh yes, come to mama and tell me you are what I think you are." She opened the vial and sniffed but jerked back in triumphant horror.

"Here," she said and handed it to Emma without looking at her. "Don't get that you on you. If you pour it on a piece of clothing, let it dry, it eats the flesh off whoever puts that on next. Well, I guess you could do it to anything someone touches. Beds, chairs, saddles…" They both winced and sucked air through clenched teeth at that thought.

"Oh no way," she breathed in a dark tone, grabbed a bottle, dabbed a bit on her finger and stuck it in her mouth. Emma grimaced.

"Hmmmm, put someone's hair in that and then have someone else drink just one drop?" She snapped her fingers. "Instant love spell. It's potent, too." Emma grinned at the recklessness of the action.

"What if someone's hair had been in that but you couldn't see it?" Emma presented the hypothetical, hoping for something as equally reckless to fall from Amelia's smirking lips.

"Guess you'll just have to see if your kiss breaks that spell, too." The band of tension around them snapped tight, and Emma answered with a second before she grabbed her around the throat with a snake-like strike and pulled her face so close that breath puffed onto her lips.

"Only if your life depended on it," Emma warned her darkly. Amelia's smiled widened.

"God, you're so much like her," she breathed shallowly and studied Emma's. The violence never bothered her. It heightened the rush with The Evil Queen and it heightened it now with Emma. She was an adrenaline junkie, born that way.

"Find me something useful." Emma sneered and pushed her back. The love potion smashed against the floor with more force than necessary to break the vial, and violet eyes widened in surprise.

"It's too dangerous to keep around. Messing with a person's will like that is not why I started making potions. I wonder if Grumpy used it on Astrid. Can we take a moment to appreciate the absolute weirdness of that union?" Amelia babbled. This was a game to her. Emma gritted her teeth.

"You have 30 seconds to find something useful before I cut that pretty new mane of yours and use it as a mop," Emma threatened. Amelia whipped around and thrust a vial in her hand.

"I know exactly what is at stake here, Emma. I use levity to mask fear. This cabinet alone is going to take me at least half an hour to sort through. Go out back and practice blowing stuff up or something. I'll come find you when I find something particularly nasty that I can replicate. I'll get started on that combustion potion so it can cook while I go through this."

She found an empty vial and stuck her pinky inside. Light shone through clearly with no evidence of residue. Amelia shrugged and stuck the digit in her mouth and sucked. God, she was perfectly reckless and exactly the type of person Emma needed supporting her use of dark magic right now. With a triumphant grin, she presented the vial to Emma with both hands.

"I need your magical blood, Savior, to thicken the stew, if you will." She grinned and cocked her head to the side once. Emma set the potions on the counter, retrieved the dagger at her thigh without breaking eye contact and then slid in across her left palm arrogantly.

"Ow!" She yelled. Amelia grabbed her wrist and held the hand over the vial. Emma bit her lips and danced. "Oh that looks so much cooler in the movies," she whined and then bite her other fist. "Why the hell did I do that?" She asked rhetorically around her knuckles.

Amelia laughed silently and kept to herself that a simple finger prick and a few drops would have sufficed with magic as powerful as Regina's. Emma pulled in a deep, settling breath and allowed the pain to course through her veins, join the rage in her heart, build her higher. Amelia topped the full vial and grabbed another from the same unused set before the flow stopped, collecting another half. The more blood she used, the bigger the boom. Too much might blow Storybrooke off the map, too little created a dud.

"Explain that look on your face to me," Emma demanded. Apparently, pain made her angrier.

"The potion I'm making is… delicate. I'm just wondering if I'll destroy the entire town if I use all of this blood." She spoke as she cleared the table and assembled what looked like Henry's home chemistry kit.

"The more blood, the bigger the boom?" Emma clarified. Amelia nodded. "We need two batches, then. One safe to use in the hospital, and one to make biiiig badda boom."

"I love that movie," Amelia commented absently as she connected another tube.

"Okay, so basically, you sprinkle this, usually in a door way, say the name of the person you wish to barbeque and evaporate it with a magical flame. It's the weaker practitioner's version of a barrier spell. You are nowhere near that advanced, and Regina clearly can't completely tap that massive store of energy in her chest. Belle will probably be out for a few days if we can't find something to help her. Ruby… well, she might lick someone to death."

"What happens when they step on it?" Emma asked, excitement growing. This magic stuff wasn't so hard. She'd learned so much in the past five minutes. Why had no one taken the time to teach her? She possessed the magic of The Truest Believer, the most potent magic ever known. Her power should have been valued and honed, not tapped when shit got rough, leaving her with no clue how to wield it.

"You know on T.V. when a person goes nuts at a gas station and pumps a bunch of fuel on their head and then lights a match?" Emma nodded with a dark grin. "Like that but hella scarier. I hate the smell of burnt human flesh." Amelia babbled more to herself than Emma, but the savior listened and learned.

"So, you've used this before?" The potion sounded extremely dangerous and exactly what she wanted around Regina's hospital bed and all over the floor of their house.

"Oh yeah. If you haven't noticed. I'm pretty good at pissing people off. I had this gnome after me one time. Regina mopped the floor of my bedchamber with the stuff. Gnomes are creepy and scary good at slipping by unnoticed. Poof. Gnome-kabob. The smell lingered in my room for weeks, though." She wrinkled her nose in disgust and then studied her work space. It wasn't Regina's massive lab in the Dark Palace, but the equipment served its purpose effectively.

"How big a batch we talking here?" She squinted at the materials around her and collected things as she went.

"Can you make enough with the full vial to do our whole house?" Emma asked, putting her family before revenge.

"Yes, but Emma, Zelena is pretty powerful. This probably won't kill her, but it will make a damn good and painful warning system. It will buy you a few minutes at best, and it's a one shot deal. Reapply after use." She explained the process and outcome. Emma listened and nodded.

"I live with two witches and a werewolf. A few minutes is all I need to get the kids to safety. You work on that. We'll do the house as soon as it's done. I need a way to lure that bitch out. Use the half vial to make a small, concentrated batch. Like a three square foot batch." Emma instructed carefully, determination settling into her bones. Amelia's eyes widened in fear. She was reckless, but Emma's request bordered on suicidal.

"Emma, that's going to be like detonating a bomb big enough to blow up a skyscraper. It's practically suicide." If Emma wanted to go this route, she supported her decision to protect her family no matter the cost. Hell, she'd help her do it, but The Savior deserved to know exactly what she signed up for in this case.

"Exactly. Get to work. I'm going to go practice making a fire." Emma spoke to Amelia, but her eyes closed tightly. She pulled a green glove from her pocket of her coat and tossed it on the table. "I took that from Regina's bed. I doubt anyone noticed. I've seen Zelena wear them before. We need a tracking potion because I seriously doubt Ruby's going to sniff her out for me."

When Emma finished speaking, she disappeared in a puff of violet. Amelia choked and waved her hand in front of her face. Dark magic was chalky as a kid smacking an eraser against an old school blackboard. That's why her eyes clamped shut so tightly; she focused on her destination. Emma totally underestimated the draw of the magic she wielded. When they dealt with Zelena, she prayed Regina's love contained enough sway to bring her back from the monster Emma never thought she'd become. It was necessary but risky. She stretched her fingers and focused on her work.

Emma reappeared in the big empty field near the farm house where Cora held Regina captive. Her landing pulled to the side, and she stumbled into the snow, catching herself with quick reflexes before she completely planted face first into the freezing powder. She stood and pumped her fists triumphantly. It wasn't the disaster it had been in Gold's shop.

"Okay, let's start a fire." She spoke to Regina's heart as though her words offered some sort of control.

Her hands flew out in front of her, mimicking a motion Regina often used during a magic fight. Muscles quivered with the effort, but the snow remained cold and intact. Emma shook out her hands, blew in them for warmth and tried again. Same result, nothing.

"Light!" She ordered the snow. Anger tightened her face, and a tiny flicker tickled her fingertips. Excitement extinguished the flame. Emma yelled at the sky in frustration.

"I can't even get excited when it works!" Her frustration demanded of the clouds. "Fuck you, magic!" She kicked the snow, slid on the slippery patch of packed ice she'd created and fell onto her side in the soft powder.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered and jumped up before it soaked her clothes too much.

"Fuck you!" She yelled again and held out her hands. "Fuck you, Ruby Lucas, and you're goddamn judgments. You stupid, slobbering mutt. You need sex or a magical fucking cape to tame your anger! Why is it different when I do it! Huh!" Emma released her pent up frustration on the invisible Ruby she envisioned. Fire tickled at her fingers.

"We were happy in Salem! We were going to move back to Storybrooke before Pan fucked everything up! For you, stupid fucking needy wolf. You can screw up your relationship and emotionally fuck my fiancee every goddamn night, but I can't have one screw up! One stupid moment of weakness! I don't even have my heart!"

Flames sparked between her fingertips, and Emma took a deep breath. "I let you have her, Ruby! She was mine, but I let you have her emotionally because it was the right fucking thing to do! You and your fucking darkness and rage! You always had that part of her, but she was mine!" Flames ignited in her palm, and Emma paused, clinging to the anger that swelled in her chest.

She studied the tiny ball. The anger pulled her under and she allowed it. The flames grew hotter. "Ow." Emma whispered. The ball grew. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Fuck!" She jabbed her hands into the snow. It offered a moment of relief and then melted under the heat of the flames. It burned bigger and melted more snow. Her spine straightened as she waved her arm like a kid flinging a burning marshmallow. The ball flew from her hand, straight into the air. Fear made her backpedal, and the ball landed with a sizzle where she'd been standing.

She grinned as it melted the snow and died out slowly. She was Emma Fucking Swan, and she could do this.


	23. Jump the Gun: Take Two

Thank you for the reviews! Enjoy, My Sweets! Also, there seems to be an authentication with my laptop for this site in particular. Thank goodness for the partner. Anyone else having issues or know how to report them? PM me please!

Songs: Daughters of Darkness by Halestorm, Don't Let Me Go by Raign

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><p>By the time Emma reappeared with a mastery of fire starting, the sky already darkened with twilight. Amelia had turned music on at some point and swayed her hips to the tune. Her scrub top and long sleeve shirt hung over a chair, leaving only a white camisole atop her blue scrub bottoms. She wiped her forehead and then went at the herbs with the pestle once more.<p>

Emma grinned wickedly, stripped her coat and then pressed so close to the other woman that their body heat combined without actual physical contact. Amelia gasped and spun, dagger in hand. Emma blocked the attack only inches from her neck and grinned darkly.

"Fuck you, Emma Swan," she sniped and tried to turn back to her work. Emma pressed their hips together and supported her weight on both hands on either side of Amelia's hips. Amelia touched her shoulders and leaned back slightly.

"You did, and it was fantastic," Emma breathed.

A puff of warm air ghosted Amelia's lips as she spoke. Emma pressed closer, almost but not quite touching their lips together. Amelia held perfectly still and confidently met Emma's lustful gaze with a heaving chest. Emma breathed heavily. Amelia waited.

"This can't happen, Amelia. I don't want it to, not emotionally. Will you stop me if I try?" Emma whispered.

She was two seconds from losing control and taking what she wanted despite Regina, but the sliver of conscience told her to speak out against her obvious heightened desire for the potions mistress. Amelia pushed roughly on her shoulders and rounded the table. She cleared her throat, pointedly not meeting Emma's gaze.

"I have your boom juice for the house ready." She informed her struggling friend and set her hands atop two gallon-sized jugs. "Just mix with water and activate. The more concentrated mix is still brewing. Should be another ten minutes or so. I'll know it's ready when it turns black and then blue, so I have to keep a close eye to make sure it hits both colors."

"The water won't dilute it?" Emma crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the cabinet where they'd found the potion collection.

"Mixing it with water is what keeps it from going big badda boom. This is concentrated, if you will, because I don't feel like lugging around 20 gallons of potion, do you?" Emma shook her head. "Were you able to get your fire on?"

Emma smirked with one side of her mouth, untucked her hand from beneath her arm, and splayed her fingers. Flame hovered above her red and blistered palm, the tips of the flame almost touching her chin. "Had an anger flow issue. Took care of it." She extinguished the flame and tucked her hand away. It burned like a bitch, but she allowed the pain to feed her anger. Anger kept her magic flowing.

"You should treat those burns before they get infected. The pain might feel good right now, but you're still human." Amelia finally met her eyes, sensing the sexual storm had passed for the moment. She prayed for the strength to resist Emma Swan. She may not have regretted the first time, but if she allowed it to happen after Emma asked her not to, their friendship ended when Emma reclaimed her rightful heart.

"Here." She said and ducked beneath the counter. When she stood, a first aide kit flew towards Emma. She caught it easily without wincing. "Take care of it yourself. You're a big girl." Emma nodded, grateful for the distance. She turned her back and pulled gauze pads and antibacterial cream from the kit.  
>"What else you got for me?" Emma asked as she tended her wounds.<p>

"I found something to help with Belle's overused chi. It might take a little while to work because we need a willing volunteer to sacrifice some chi. Put a little of this on the thumb finger of each hand, touch it to the volunteer and then to Belle. It basically transfers chi from one to the other. You control how much by leaving your fingers connected to each. The longer you stay, the more chi you transfer. This can kill someone if they aren't careful. I or Regina will help you perform this one, especially since Ruby will probably offer her wolfiness to the cause. I found a locator potion in the cabinet." Amelia set the potion down and crossed to Emma struggling with tape and gauze.

"Here." She grabbed the tape and tore off a piece. Emma held the wrapped gauze cloth in place and allowed Amelia to tape both hands. The doctor immediately retreated to her potions without further comment. Emma nodded gratefully before she turned around to face her friend again.

"You have more integrity than most give you credit for, don't you?" Emma asked as she turned slowly and leaned again with her arms crossed.

"I try to. People don't often give me enough of a chance to see it," Amelia confessed bitterly, and Emma immediately thought about the friends she left behind in Boston. She knew the feeling all too well.

"Did Regina ever tell you how we met?" Amelia glanced up, and Emma shook her head. The doctor returned thoughtfully to the mixture she created, trailing her finger along a page of the book open on the counter and then grabbing another ingredient.

"I was 23. She saved me. My father had been murdered when I was a child. I watched it happen, probably spared only by the fact that my older brother covered my mouth and held me back." She stopped, wrinkled her nose at the book, and then marked out a measurement with a pen and wrote something in its place.

"That's how I started making potions in the first place. I became obsessed with finding that man and avenging my father's death. Vengeance comes with a price as much as magic. I found him, killed him, and was punished by his village. They stripped me naked, hung me between two poles in the town square. Each member of the town each took a turn hitting me with whatever they had available, even the kids. Stones, whips, clubs.

"Regina and her royal escort just happened upon me as she rode through on her way to the palace. She hadn't killed Leopold or been considered The Evil Queen yet, but she'd been working on her magic with Rumpelstiltskin for years. She discovered that I'd managed to kill a man with a potion even though she intuitively sensed that I had no magic in my blood.

"She pardoned me for the crime with the excuse that the man received the proper punishment for taking another life." Her eyes turned to the potion that suddenly turned black. She waited until it turned blue before continuing as she bottled the explosive brew.

"She saved my life that day, and in turn, I pledged it to her service. She utilized my skills like no other magic wielder ever had. I was appreciated for the first time in my life, respected. She gave me freedom within the castle and eventually as far as I wanted once I proved my loyalty." She capped several vials carefully and labeled the bottles with masking tape and a sharpie, more for Emma's benefit than her own.

"That led to your physical relationship?" Emma prodded, unsure if she betrayed Regina's trust by asking. She wanted to know. Amelia wanted to share.  
>"That was happenstance, mostly. Unlike some of the wizards I worked under, Regina never touched me though we connected naturally and flirted quite a bit. She wanted my mind more than my body. I went to her room one night because I was excited about a new potion I discovered. I sought her permission to begin that night without her.<p>

"I just barged in, because I'm me and that's what I do. I knew she'd be awake and without a lover because she always was at that time of night. I never expected to…" She cleared her throat.

"Rumpelstiltskin had her heart, controlling her into having sex with him. I probably should have left. They were on the bed, and she was on her stomach. Her eyes, when she looked into mine, were so full of fear and pain, but she couldn't say a damn thing and she couldn't stop him, not when he controlled her heart." Amelia bowed her head against the memory and returned to the unfinished mixture she created.

"I just stood there and let her look into my eyes. When he finished, he tossed her heart to me as if it were a ball and not someone's life organ. Her eyes were so scared, like I was going to pick up where he left off. I waited until he left and then I gave her heart back to her. That's how I proved my loyalty to her. She broke down that night and told me that he'd done it to her before, many times. He just appeared and took it by surprise, like a sick game of peek-a-boo or something. It's how he controlled her." She shrugged and fell silent for a long time. Emma simply watched her smash and mix and allowed the new information to feed her growing rage. She knew he was a bastard, but Regina never indicated or hinted even a tiny bit that he'd raped her that way more than once.

"I kissed her. I just wanted her to feel someone's touch who wasn't trying to hurt her or take advantage of her. I never intended to start a sexual relationship, and we didn't that night, not for another several weeks actually. I stayed with her that night, but the next night, she came to me in my chambers and asked if she could lay beside me." Amelia laughed at whatever came next with fond eyes and dumped her mixture into the boiling water above the open flame.

"The next morning she said that I was to report to her room each night at midnight after all but the night guards had gone to bed. And the rest just progressed naturally, I suppose. What we had… it was never love and it was certainly never monogamous, but it was…" she waved her hand in a very Regina-like manner.

"It was what we needed. I needed a mentor, to be seen and valued. She needed someone who was at her side by choice, not because she was ordered there or fear her and not because she wanted anything more than to learn from a great magic practitioner. We very much had an ancient Greek teacher-student relationship.

"The best thing I ever did in my life was create the potion that prevents her heart from being used against her should it be taken. I told her that I found it in one of Rumpelstiltskin's books, but I made it myself. No one else knows the secret." Amelia confided and tapped her temple with a mischievous grin, and Emma believed her. She'd given Regina true freedom from Rumpelstiltskin's grasp. Amelia sighed and changed the subject.

"Which is why I will not sleep with you, Emma. If you and Regina have closed that door, she's earned enough loyalty and respect from me to at least have that honored." Amelia met her eyes in a weighted staring contest. Emma nodded slowly, finally understanding Amelia's resistance to betray Regina the night they had sex and just a few minutes ago.

"It sounds damn near perfect. What happened?" She pushed gently. A relationship like that hadn't ended naturally. Amelia clenched her jaw and stared at her hands on the table with shimmering eyes.

"There's a reason addicts make amends to the people they love. They always hurt them even when they don't mean to. I was banished from the castle by guards. She refused to see me, not even once, when she found out what happened and my role in it. About a year later, she cast The Dark Curse and brought everyone here. I never reached out, and neither did she." Amelia shrugged and started cleaning up her mess with precision and care. She respected her craft.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Emma blurted. She couldn't not know, not now. Amelia laughed hollowly at herself. She clearly hadn't forgiven herself either.

"I was high, off my goddamn rocker. I shouldn't have been out of bed, much less making a memory potion. Those little scars she has on her stomach and the one on her lip? She got them when I added the wrong ingredient to a memory potion and my lab exploded. She got stuck in a dreamscape of fear of sorts. She was in there for weeks before I figured out how to reverse the effects. That woman had a lot of reasons to run from her nightmares, one of the reasons she slept so little. I trapped her inside her mind with nowhere to run except from one nightmare to another." Amelia wiped one eye with the back of her wrist and continued cleaning as though she hadn't just dropped a huge bombshell.

Regina never mentioned Amelia before, and now Emma knew why. She'd asked Regina at least a dozen times about the tiny scars, but her tortured lover never answered the question. She stopped asking eventually. Emma swallowed the anger and stored it for later. If she ever recovered her heart, perhaps forgiveness became possible, but Amelia had clearly caused Regina a massive trauma.

"We have work to do. How long is that potion going to take?" Emma nodded her head at the boiling beaker. Amelia wiped another tear with her wrist, keeping her herb covered fingers from her eyes.

"You'll know it when you smell it. Essence of skunk doesn't even begin to cover it." The joke fell flat in the new tension between them. "Shouldn't be long now."  
>Silence encased them, and Amelia finished carefully cleaning her herbs and other odd ingredients. Emma watched her with searching eyes. Amelia made a mistake over 30 years ago that still haunted her. They had all fucked up at some point. Emma pushed off the counter with her hips and rounded the table. Amelia flinched and raised her arm defensively towards her face, preparing for a blow from the raging savior.<p>

Emma grabbed her wrist roughly and jerked the shorter woman into her, surprising the doctor when strong arms circled her shoulders. They sagged in relief under Emma's arms as she returned the hug. If Belle forgave Regina, Emma decided that she forgave Amelia even if Regina hadn't yet. The former queen had obviously moved beyond the anger and pain if her heart in Emma's chest felt neither when she hugged the emotionally battered doctor.

The potion puffed and sputtered behind them. Amelia pulled back quickly and covered her nose and mouth. Emma missed her chance and inhaled the rancid scent of the completed potion. Amelia chuckled at the resulting gags and quickly turned off the brew and dumped it into a glass vial, capping it as fast as possible. She dunked the beaker into a bowl of ice water Emma only now noticed at the end of the table, and then wrapped it in a trash bag. Once the knot was tied and trapped the majority of the scent, she labeled the potion.

"I'm ready when you are, Savior," she said as she sat the potion with the rest of her arsenal. Emma retrieved her coat and shoved potions into the pockets as Amelia reclaimed her many layers. She hadn't worn a coat when they teleported from the hospital.

With a jug of the larger batch in a hand, the two friends clasped the others and held their breaths. They started upstairs, and Emma thanked her stars that the liquid was clear and not staining the beige carpet. A room at a time, they spread and then Emma whispered Zelena's name and flamed it. Darkness completely encased the sky by the time they finished. Wordlessly, Amelia touched Emma's shoulder and held her breath. They still needed to set up the enchantment at the hospital.

Ruby growl and Regina gasped when they appeared suddenly in the room. Emma ignored them for the moment and touched Annabel's hair in her crib. Her eyes flickered from green to violet and back again. Annabel soothed her now that the spontaneous rage had passed. It mattered very little; she'd found the fodder for plenty of anger in her hatred for Rumpelstiltskin and her rage towards Ruby and Peter Pan.

"Ruby, get out," she said after she heard Amelia leave. She needed to speak with Eva about moving oxygen tanks and patients that may have been assigned on either side of Regina's room, just in case.

"No," the stubborn wolf replied easily. Emma whipped around. Regina glanced between her best friend and fiancée. Emma took a deep breath.

"Ruby, get out now before I throw you out on your tail." Emma's voice was low and controlled and dangerous, and Ruby came to her feet.

"If you think for one second that I am going to leave Belle and Regina and Annabel alone with someone hopped up Dark Magic that she has no idea how to control, you have completely lost your mind." Ruby crossed her arms and widened her stance, making her position quite clear. Emma sneered and conjured a fireball.

"Get out, you stupid wolf. I've left them alone with you plenty of times before you learned how to control that thing inside of you. A shame if something should happen to your cloak." Emma tossed the flame from one hand to the other and grinned wickedly. "Like if it were to catch fire while on your back."

"Emma, that's enough," Regina chastised. "Ruby, please leave. We'll be perfectly safe. Emma may have my heart, but I still have my blood and more practice using it." Emma extinguished the flame and clasped her hands in front of her hips innocently. Regina was hers after all. What had the silly wolf thought would happen?

"If you need me, yell," Ruby said and then pointedly draped her cape over a still slumbering Belle, telling them that she intended to listen to every single word.  
>Emma followed her to the door and closed it with more force than necessary and returned to Regina's side. Regina squeaked in surprise when Emma lifted on knee to the bed and used it as leverage to straddle her thighs. She remained at her full height, not putting any weight upon Regina's legs or body as she leaned her back on the bed and capture her lips in a heated kiss. Regina sighed as Emma kissed down her jaw and retraced her steps to her lips.<p>

"Regina, tell me you love me," Emma demanded against her lips before pressing her into another heated battle of tongues, teeth and lips.

"I love you, Emma," Regina breathed when Emma broke for air.

Emma straightened to her full height and stripped her coat, lowering it gentle on the floor with her potions in mind. She caught herself on either elbow beside Regina's head as she fell into another passionate kiss with her partner.

"Tell me you're mine," Emma demanded and pressed a kiss to the front of her throat. Regina hummed against her lips.

"I'm yours, Emma. I'll always be yours." Regina stated without a hint of hesitation or doubt. Though it wasn't her intention, Emma derived a sick sense of satisfaction by knowing Ruby heard those words from afar. She gasped when Regina's hands covered her breasts and squeezed. She pulled back.

"Regina, that's not what this is," she explained to her partner. Regina smiled shyly and ducked her head.

"I know, Darling." She rubbed her thumbs over the small mounds until she found her nipples. "But I just took a shot of morphine, which means I'm feeling no pain, and I have no interest in losing you to what's inside your chest. I have lost too much, myself included, to the darkness I allowed to control me once." One hand moved to Emma's throbbing center as she spoke, and the low groan rumbled in the back of Emma's throat.

"Let me ground you. Let me do this for you. Let me love you so you can save us without sacrificing yourself, your humanity." Steady fingers popped the button of her jeans and pushed them over her hips without waiting for an answer.

Emma braced herself on the flats of her arms and bent her head near Regina's. A sliver of fear pulled into her when Regina slipped two fingers into her easily and her hips jerked towards Regina's stomach. They should not have done this, but it happened anyway. Lips found her neck as Regina built a slow rhythm. Teeth sank into her shoulder when she added a third. Emma's head jerked back, face lifting towards the ceiling. Pressure built in her stomach and spread as far as her knees in a quaking, burning need that only Regina fulfilled.

Emma fell forward again and dropped her head to Regina's shoulder. She panted with the effort of holding her hips in one place, to trust Regina to take her to that edge without assistance. Velvet walls clenched, and Regina pictured what she used to enjoy most. Slow build up, big finish. Without preamble, she thrust upward with all the strength available to her. Emma pressed her face into her neck and released moan after moan as the pain and pleasure mingled, spreading a cool balm over the heated rage. It soothed it minimally without taking it away completely. It took the edge off, just like Regina said it would.

She toppled over the edge willingly and bit Regina's neck in her effort to remain still.

"You okay?" She mumbled into Regina's hair. They really really shouldn't have been doing this, but she doubted Belle and Annabel were telling anyone anytime soon.

"I'm perfect, Darling. Lay back," Regina ordered.

Emma obeyed, bracing her weight on her elbows and the knees bent beneath her instead of Regina's legs. Regina pulled the jeans to her knees and then reinserted the three fingers. Emma's head fell between her shoulder blades with a gasp and a shudder. She barely contained her cry of pleasure when Regina added her pinky and stroked her as deeply as possible. Her head jerked up, eyes meeting Regina's when her thumb joined the mix.

Emma panted, face scrunched in pain and pleasure with a hint of fear and a tinge of wild abandon that Regina had never seen before. That was the anger, but everything else belonged to Emma. She froze, questioning her actions for the first time since she'd made the decision to give Emma a moment of release. Emma sensed the hesitation and pushed her weight forward on her elbows, impaling herself on Regina's hand.

"Oh Fuck!" Emma cried out, uncaring that probably everyone on the floor heard her. It was the oddest combination of pain and pleasure she'd ever felt… and the oddest war within her mind. On one side, she knew that she never normally would have found pleasure in this, but on the other, it felt so damn good and fit so comfortably with the rage boiling her veins.

Regina braced her elbow on the bed by her ribs and simply watched Emma pump her fist in and out. A high pitched gasp filled the room with every breath, and Regina ignored the reddened faces that surely awaited them outside the door. Emma had always been vocal. She bit her lip and refocused. Emma nearly slammed into her stomach when she brushed the thumb of her free hand over her slick clit. It was the last tiny bit of stimulation she needed.

Emma cried out, thrust herself forward one last time and then dropped to her shoulders between Regina's feet. Each quake and tremble challenged the muscle tension in her back and her resolve. Regina pulled out quickly, sensing the struggle with her quivering muscles and not wishing to spend more time than necessary being restapled and hopped up on pain meds. Against all reason, Emma lifted herself to one elbow and then the other and thrust herself forward. Again, she just caught her weight on the flats of her arms before slamming into Regina.

She grabbed the hard plastic rails of the bed for balance, snapped it in place, and then rolled into it. Her lower back screamed at the plastic rail in her back, but Regina found enough room to wiggle towards the other side of the bed. Emma slumped onto it, one leg still across Regina's thighs, but she felt certain the weight added no pain to her lover's recovery.

"Jumped the gun, Regina. Bang bang." Emma giggled and covered her face with her hands. Regina smirked.

She knew exactly what Emma felt. She knew how the knot in her lover's chest loosened, the fluttering of her stomach as the endorphins engulfed the rage for just a moment. Emma basked in the after glow of her love, and Emma's heart swelled in Regina's chest. Until that moment, she failed to realized that she had needed this as much as Emma, to lavish her affection upon the woman she loved. Even if she hadn't been seven days out of surgery, Regina theorized that this still would have satisfied her. Sex was just a bonus.

"Emma," she said gently as she leaned back and raised her arm.

Emma slid one arm behind her back and pressed her face into the side of her swollen breast happily. Regina bit her lip and chuckled silently at her partner's antics. She pressed gentle kisses into the aching flesh while cool fingers tickled the inside of her thigh from knee to the apex of her thigh and back again. Regina pressed little kisses into Emma's sweaty hairline and trailed fingertips up and down Emma's side. She prolonged the moment as long as she could, wanting nothing more than to make Emma feel good as long as possible.

Her other hand, however, pressed desperately at her medication control. Any minute now, that blessed chemical filled her veins and relieved that burning ache in her belly as soon as the machine deemed enough time had passed.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked and glanced up at her without moving her mouth from Regina's breast.

"I'm fine, Darling," Regina strained with a forced smile.

"Oh damn it. I knew I was going to hurt you. I'm sorry, Baby. Can I do anything to help?" Emma plundered herself, the knot instantly returning to her gut. Regina scratched her scalp.

"Emma, after you were shot, we made love far too soon, remember. You hurt quite a bit, but you said that you regretted nothing. Do you remember?" Emma nodded. Regina smiled shyly and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "That's how I feel right now, and I think I am beginning to understand your obsession of constantly watching me every possible second. You're incredible, Emma. I could watch you forever."

Emma's gaze dropped coyly, and Regina brought it back with warm fingers on her cheek. "Don't ever hide from me," she whispered. Emma's breath caught in her chest, leaving her with a nod and a kiss as the only responses available.

"Do you want to see what I learned?" Emma asked suddenly as she pulled back with excited eyes. Regina smiled, nodded, pushed her medication button. She sighed when it finally squirted into her IV.

"I'd have known earlier if you bothered answering your text messages," Regina huffed, not actually angry. She understood that Emma needed to find her magical footing alone.

"Sorry. Jane and Felicia were texting me like crazy people. I had to focus." Emma explained and then held out her hand, snapped at the rubbed band of ire in her heart.

"Fuck you, Ruby Lucas," she hissed through clenched teeth when her feel good endorphins blocked her magic. Her palm flickered and lit. She held the emotion steady and then extinguished the flame in a closed fist.

"It's time for you to pump, right?" Her focus flicked to Regina who nodded with wide shining eyes and a proud smile. Emma flicked her hand towards the closet door. It rattled and fell still.

"Stupid fucking wolf rage. Goddamn hypocrit!" The door flew open and the black bag with Regina's pump floated shakily across the room. Emma guided it gently to Regina's lap and then beamed up at her lover.

"Well done, Darling!" Regina gushed and kissed her forehead lovingly. Emma melted into the gesture and emotion of the moment. "How many times did you burn yourself?" She waggled a finger at the bandages. Emma only grinned playfully.

"You're not mad that I'm using magic? Your magic?" Emma asked in surprise. Regina hummed and attached herself to the pump. Emma closed her eyes and pretended that it wasn't happening.

"I'm… concerned but not mad. I know how addicting it can be, and you're an addict already, Emma. A vice is a vice is a vice. So, to answer your question, I am not mad as long as you continue communicating with me openly as you just did." Regina scratched fingers into her scalp with one hand and switched on the pump with the other.

"Speaking of magic, I brought stuff for you." Emma squirmed from the bed and away from the pump. Regina smirked as she watched Emma button and zip her jeans and then dig through her coat.

"It's a warning system, mostly, but Amelia assures me that it will be painful." Emma babbled as she spread the rest of the potion on the floor around Annabel and Regina's beds. "Do not under any circumstance allow Annabel's crib to be moved from this position." Emma instructed. Regina knew exactly what potion Amelia created without being told.

"Zelena," Emma whispered and then flicked flame onto the liquid around both beds. Two rings of fire erupted, lighting the dim room, and then burned away almost immediately. Emma returned to her coat wordlessly and found another vial.

"Ruby, you can come back in now. I'd like Belle to wake up and I need you to do that." Emma said in a slightly raised tone. She never bothered watching the door. She knew Ruby heard her with her fucking creepy wolf hearing.

"Something's been bugging me," Emma said suddenly and met Regina's gaze. It startled her slightly to find that Regina silently followed her every movement already. It aroused her and unnerved her at the same time. That's what Regina used to feel, she realized. Emma watched her constantly, like another addiction she refused to quit. She cleared her throat.

"Who cast The Dark Curse? Not that I'm not thrilled, but we still have no clue what this curse caster is up to if it wasn't Zelena. She certainly has the power, but no one knew the ingredients except you and Rumpelstiltskin, right?" Regina bit her lip and broke eye contact. Emma's eyebrows tightened.

"Was it you?" She asked in a rushed whisper, not wanting anyone else to know if Regina wasn't ready for that yet.

"Emma, I think I brought us back here," Regina confessed and beckoned her to the bed. "It wasn't clear before, but the last night I spent in The Enchanted Forest, I remember wishing to be back in Storybrooke. More than that I wished that I couldn't remember not having you in my arms. I didn't know I had your heart, and I made a wish in a moment of pure grief. I felt your love inside me that night. I must have activated your heart without knowing it. You destroyed Neverland, combined it with Storybrooke." Her voice dropped so low and raspy that Emma barely made out the words. The only person who even stood a chance of hearing them was Ruby, and as long as she remained loyal to Regina, which she clearly was, the secret remained between them.

"Is that even possible, though?" Emma asked, but Regina clamped her mouth shut when the door opened, revealing a wide-eyed Ruby and a confused Amelia staring up at the wolf. Her jaw went from clenched to dropped for no apparent reason as they approached Regina's room.

"Ready to wake Belle?" Emma asked, pulling the topic into a safe vein. Ruby nodded and composed herself. She sat on the cot and held her lover's hand tenderly.

"Okay, Emma, remember what I said. I already informed Ruby of the process, so she's prepared, but you need to…"

"Amelia," Regina caught her former friend's attention. "I got it." She smiled with tight eyes and raised her bed. Regina intended to guide her through the process. Ruby breathed easier, shoulders slumping with relief.

"Dab the potion on your thumb and touched it to Ruby's forehead." Emma followed the instructions. "Not there a little lower, almost between the eyes." She listened and followed. The cold viscous fluid made Ruby flinch, and Emma ignored it as she repeated the process with Belle's forehead. Once connected to both women, she glanced over her shoulder for further guidance from her partner.

"You are the conduit, Emma. It will tingle, perhaps painfully. Can you feel each chi individually?" Emma nodded. "Feel how weak Belle's is?" Another nod. "You won't take Ruby anywhere close to that level. Understand?" Emma nodded.

"Okay. Now pull on Ruby's energy, slowly. Coax it to you. Don't force it. The natural connection from the potion will direct it properly." Emma winced as the flow began and held tight to her friends.

"You're fine, Darling. Can you still feel the individual life forces?" Emma gritted her teeth and nodded. Belle moaned and shifted on the cot.

"Perfect, that's plenty. Just break the connection. You'll feel a jolt as you spindle the residual energy into yourself. It may burn or tingle, but you're perfectly safe." Regina informed her gently. Emma nodded and jerked her hands back. The flow stopped. Emma readjusted her shoulders and shook her body like a dog, adjusting to the feeling of munching on someone else's life force.

Bright green eyes found brown, and her lips pressed into Regina's as she stood and took her face in both hands. Regina smiled into the affection and buried her hands in golden locks.

"That was incredible," Emma confided to the group breathlessly and then gave Regina a lingering but chaste kiss.

"Zelena," Belle muttered, forehead furrowing in confusion.

"Hey, Baby, you're okay," Ruby comforted the still weak woman and rubbed a soothing hand over her back. "You got chi sucked, but we gave you some of mine. You're okay." Ruby pressed a kiss to her shoulder and then rested her forehead there, relief evident in the gesture.

"Time curse," Belle mumbled. "Pure heart. Dark warrior. Reformed witch. Brain of magic. Innocence of dark and light." Her valiant attempt of speaking confused everyone.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Tight fingers wrapped around her hips as she demanded answers, anger already flaring in her chest at Belle's condition.

"I think Zelena intends to travel in time and erase me from existence."


	24. A Few More Nights

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Off with Her Head by Icon for Hire, Don't let Me Go and A Queen's Head by Raign

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><p>Emma nuzzled her nose against Regina's hair for the hundredth time and glanced at the clock across the room. The second hand ticked slowly, and Emma remembered all the reasons she'd ever had to be angry in her life. Her parents' abandonment. The boy who first gave her heroin. Every single event that occurred since her appearance in Storybrooke. Rumpelstiltskin. Everything. It flowed into her heart, charging Regina's magic there. And she waited.<p>

Her role in the battle against Zelena grew exponentially when Regina finally deciphered Belle's babble. Ruby's courage. Regina's heart. A magical brain, indicating Belle or Rumpelstiltskin, but the perverse imp disappeared as soon as he reclaimed his dagger, never to be seen or heard from since. The innocence of dark and light left only one interpretation, Annabel. Acid tore through Emma. She'd nearly lost both of the most important females in her life to get Annabel, and the simple fact that she had barely reached a week in this world before someone threatened her life decided how far Emma was willing to delve into her darkness. She thought perhaps her soul destined for salvation beneath Regina's hands only hours ago. Now, she knew it impossible.

As far as it took, that's how far she intended to let the rage consume her.

At exactly midnight, the door to Regina's room cracked, revealing a silhouetted Amelia and then shrouded them in darkness once more when it closed silently. Emma pressed one finger to her lips and then disentangled her body from Regina's. Amelia stepped forward and pressed the medicine control, pumping more chemicals into her former mistress. The drugs kept her comfortable but functional if Zelena should appear. Regina possessed enough blood magic to teleport to safety if need be.

Ruby left with a still delirious and babbling Belle hours ago, preferring to keep the children in the mansion with the warning system instead of at David and Snow's. Zelena's pending attack pulled everyone into high alert, enough so that part of the militia Belle created during her command in Pan's war had taken up guard posts at the entrances of the hospital and in front of the Mills mansion. Captain took point, organizing shifts. They recreated the bond and determination Belle instilled during her time as commander. It was a really beautiful and powerful thing to witness, but Emma knew they served as mere distractions. If they directly engaged Zelena, more people died. This was her battle. She was the damn Savior after all.

Wordlessly, Amelia took her hand and held her breath. Emma focused and teleported them back to Gold's shop. Amelia released her and stood back when Emma flung her arms out. Furniture and trinkets flew towards one wall, presenting them with a moderately sized playing space. Amelia pulled a steadying breath through her nose.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" She asked in a hesitant tone, unsure if she wanted Emma to do what their earlier text conversation asked of her.

"I have to. Belle and Regina are down and that bitch is trying to change Regina's time line. No Storybrooke. No Annabel. Henry will end up god-knows-where. That's why I'm doing this. The blood of The Truest Believer still pumps in my veins. That's why Regina's heart has a golden glow. If it can infect her heart, then the power of belief can strengthen her magic. That's where you come in. Make me believe." Emma explained. Amelia nodded, gut roiling in unsettling waves.

"Change your clothes. You need to see your scars." She pointed in Emma's general direction and then stripped down to her camisole.

Emma closed her eyes and thought about what she wanted to wear: black sports bra, tight jeans with stretchy fabric that allowed her movement, hair up in a tight pony tail, her comfortable brown leather riding boots. She snapped her fingers. Cool air tickled her stomach and tension pulled at her forehead from the new hair style. Amelia inhaled sharply. How was it possible to have sex with someone without actually noticing such large scars?

With a heavy heart and determined mind, she moved to the counter and the carefully displayed supplies she gathered while Emma waited for sleep to completely claim Regina's mind. She picked up a riding crop, something she'd seen Regina use many times in similar situations during her years in her service. It tore flesh if wielded correctly. Since she refused to use her hands due to fear of nerve damage, she informed Emma beforehand that she knew of other tactics.

"Emma, you need to answer honestly. The answer in your heart, not just in your head or what you think I want to hear. If you feel something different than what you answer, this doesn't work. It just strengthens what's in your heart." She spoke and studied the whip. This was not something she wanted to do.

"I know. Let's get to it, shall we?" Emma challenged her. Amelia met her gaze and crossed the room, stopping two feet away.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked in a seemingly innocent voice. The question sounded genuine, almost concerned.

"To protect my family," Emma told her, slightly irritated that Amelia still resisted. A sharp crack across arm told her that the potions master already accepted her role. Anger flared.

"Why are you doing this?" She repeated in a harsher tone now that Emma caught on to the caustic wave of destroying the good within a soul. Emma searched her heart and mind, gritted her teeth and answered honestly.

"To protect my family." Amelia slapped the whip across her cheek with a sneer, giving herself to the depravity of the situation despite the knot of guilt and nausea in her stomach.

"Tell me about the first person you lost, Emma," she ordered as she circled around the blonde savior. Some things are more easily digested when one failed to see the grief in a person's eyes.

"My parents." Amelia cracked the whip across her shoulder. Emma winced and then growled but remained steadfast in her determination. Damn, that thing hurt.

"You didn't lose them. They tossed you in a box and shipped you to another dimension. They didn't want you. Now, tell me about the first person you lost." Amelia bowed her head and prayed her voice hadn't betrayed her heart. The blow was low and painful if the tightening of Emma's back muscles indicated anything. Anyone with half a brain deduced the sharp pangs of regret and guilt and pain surrounding the Charming family.

"My foster mother when I was 13. Her name was Candace. She lived on a farm. Her husband killed her because she tried to take me and her daughter Marcie and run away from his abuse. He sho…" Emma's voice cracked, and Amelia fought the urge to comfort her. Emma needed the pain, the rage. "He shot her off the horse we rode. I watched her die, protecting me."

"How did you feel?" Amelia asked in a darkened tone.

"Sad, scared, helpless." Emma searched for the exact emotion and winced into the pain of another whip strike across her shoulder.

"Angry!" Emma yelled and whirled on Amelia who lashed out with the leather rod, snapping her across the ribs. Emma seethed

"You nearly died because you jumped in front of a bullet meant for Regina. The same exact way you watched Candace die. You heard her body fall to the ground, saw the blood, watched the life drained from her eyes. Why do that to yourself willing?" Amelia asked, easing into prying loose Emma's clawed grip on the love she desperately sought to keep for the sake of her relationship and sanity.

"Because I love Regina." Crack. Growl. Crack.

"Why did you take that bullet?" Amelia yelled.

"Because I love Regina!" Crack. Emma grabbed the whip and threw it across the room. Amelia pulled the dagger from her pocket and shoved it against Emma's throat from behind. She kicked the back of Emma's knee and followed her to the floor, not wanting to accidentally slit her throat by carelessness. Blonde hair fisted tightly and jerked back to expose pale flesh of a throat, Amelia repeated the question.

"Why did you take that bullet?"

"Because I wanted it to be me and not her." Emma gritted through clenched teeth. If she wanted, her superior strength and self-defense skills gave her an out from the dagger at her throat, but she unknowingly raised the stakes when she threw away the crop. Another misfire like that ensured something more painful.

"Why are you doing this? Why do you think you're the one to defeat Zelena?" Amelia released the pressure on her throat but kept a firm grip in her hair. Emma closed her eyes, searched her heart.

"Because I want to protect my family," she admitted begrudgingly. The blade of the dagger slid up her shoulder blade, and she cried out, almost falling forward. Amelia released her with a rough shove and a disgusted click of her tongue. Burned hands caught her fall before she face planted into the floor. Her shoulder burned and throbbed and her hands protested the weight. Anger flared in her chest. She was pathetic, whining about love and family when hers constantly brought nothing but pain and suffering, even though they never meant to.

"When your foster father killed Candace, your beloved mother, the only person in the world who gave a damn if you lived or died, what did you feel?" As she spoke, she raised her foot to the back of Emma's ribcage, telling her without words to remain on all fours.

"Angry," Emma seethed and swallowed the pain into the ever growing band of anger in her heart.

"What did you want to happen to him?" Amelia controlled her breathing. If she had nearly reached her breaking point, surely Emma teetered on the edge of something, too.

"I wanted him to go to jail and rot, which he did, still is as far as I know." Emma grunted into the blow to her ribs and fell to her side. Amelia grabbed her hair and pulled her to her knees, squatting before her. The tip of the dagger trailed from her collarbone to the valley between her breasts without breaking skin.

"I wanted him to suffer." Emma whispered and accepted the flush of grief and rage that simple confession inspired. "I wanted to slit his throat and feel his blood on my hands." It felt good, not giving a damn about propriety and the acceptability of her dark thoughts. She'd fought them her entire life, became an addict to escape them rather than act upon them. No more. That was weak and pathetic. Emma wanted to be strong. An eerie calm settled into her soul, like peace, but Emma knew it more closely resembled the calm within the eye of a tornado.

"Why are you so angry at Ruby?" She dove headfirst into the deep end of a major shit storm and held on for dear life.

"Because she and Regina share a connection I don't understand. Because as much as she and Belle love each other, she and Regina are having an emotional affair that neither I nor Belle can touch without fear of having our heads bitten off. We're all planning weddings for fuck sakes! Sometimes I think the only reason they postponed is because Ruby has fucking doubts about her supposed goddamn true love for Belle when she's so incredibly connected to Regina!" Emma spewed, already having figured out that question.

"And why does that make you angry?"

"Regina is mine. She belongs to me." The rage behind this line of questions surfaced easily, returning the icy calm, and Amelia pushed forward.

"Why are you doing this, Savior?" Amelia asked again, intentionally using her title to remind Emma of her role in this world. It never specified how she saved everyone, just that she did.

"Because I want feel Zelena's blood on my hands for threatening what's mine. I earned Regina. I went to hell for her. I almost gave my life for her, and I'll be damned if some deranged bitch takes that away from me because she was jealous of Rumpelstiltskin's choice in apprentice. No one is taking anything else from me." Emma's eyes glowed violet, and Amelia smiled darkly at her, heart fluttering with relief.

"Ready to practice some magic?" Emma nodded. Amelia stood and grabbed the string bow from the counter, notching an arrow quickly. She waited for Emma's nod and then loosed the projectile, aiming a few feet from Emma's body. It quivered in the air but maintained its path before sinking into the back wall.

"Focus, Savior. You must react before I release the arrow, otherwise it's too late, and you'll have another gut wound and be in the hospital with Regina. That how you want the fucking Savior of Storybrook going down in history?" She taunted her friend. Emma clenched her fists and reset her stance.

"Fuck you! Fuck Ruby Lucas! Fuck Rumpelstilt…" Amelia loosed an arrow, and Emma called it to her hand easily. Violet eyes stared at the shaft in triumph, and then tossed it to the floor between them.

"What were you feeling when you caught the arrow?" Amelia asked and notched another.

"Angry," Emma answered and stared at her hands in wonder.

"So what do you believe in, Savior?" She pulled the string back as violet eyes raised slowly to hers. "What's going to prevent Zelena from taking what is yours?"

"Anger," Emma breathed. The arrow flew. Emma caught it before it hit her square in the chest, magic slowing its progression to something manageable, and then tossed it to the floor with more force than necessary.

"Again," she ordered Amelia, and the doctor complied.

They practiced, pushed each other until the first pinks and oranges of daybreak bade them stop and rest. No one knew of their late night activities. No one understood Emma's intense need, not even Amelia, really, but she recognized desperation and fear when she saw it. For all they knew, Zelena moved on to some other witch and bided her time for the perfect moment to snatch Annabel from under their noses.

Whatever her plan, Amelia knew Emma needed to be prepared, and her noble friends hindered that by preventing her from embracing the darkness thrust upon her when she bonded with Regina's heart. Regina handled it so well because she accepted it as a part of herself, and Emma's valiant struggle against that shoved her into her arms for a rough game of "who has control?" and nearly edged her into falling into a needle for comfort. Emma needed this as much as her family needed her protection.

Emma flashed Amelia to her apartment where she created some sort of magical salve that expedited the healing of her wounds and offered her a cup of coffee as she treated and dressed the welts and cuts across Emma's flesh. They parted with a nod, a thermos of coffee for Emma, and a flash of purple smoke.

Regina gasped when she reappeared in her room and instinctively covered Annabel's crib with an arm. She relaxed immediately and readjusted the grip on the bottle. She hadn't picked her daughter up yet, choosing to feed her in the crib before using the miniscule strength she'd recovered to burp her. Now that Emma returned from her mysterious trip, the sudden desire to reclaim her own bed and take her medication slammed into her full force.

"Emma, please do this so I can lay down," she said quietly and brushed the back of her finger over Annabel's cheek.

"Compromise? Go get in bed, and I'll bring her to you." Emma negotiated hopefully, knowing extended contact with her daughter extinguished the brightly burning bon fire she managed to create in her heart last night. Each moment, she found another scrap to toss into the conflagration.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you." Regina relinquished the bottled, took her thermos, and slowly made her way back to the bed. Emma waited until she situated herself before lifting their daughter from her bed.

"Hey there, Squidgelette," Emma cooed, the reaction slipping out naturally. Regina smiled at the nickname. She had initially hoped it wouldn't stick, but each time Emma used it, it grew on her just a smidgen more.

"Here you go, Mama Regina," Emma whispered tenderly as she settled the infant in her lover's arms.

Regina immediately became engrossed in the world of her daughter. Emma retreated to the cot, avoiding Regina's bed at all costs. Comfortable silence encased them until Annabel finished her first breakfast of the morning. Regina set the bottle on the wheeled table by her bed and lifted the girl onto her shoulder with a wince. Determination filled her chest. She'd already missed seven days of enjoying her newborn, and the thought of missing any more time pushed her forward.

"Where did you go last night? You weren't here for her feeding. They had to go get Lauren from an on-call room because I refused to let anyone hold her without having a fireball aimed at them. Apparently, she and Eva have been sleeping at the hospital, and Lauren and usurped all of the overtime available and continues to stay on her own. That girl unnerves me." Regina babbled at her partner as her mind recalled the memories of only a few hours ago.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went to Gold's shop with Amelia to do magic stuff. And, yes, Lauren is creepy in a good way and getting brazen as hell. Belle told me that she broke a guy's nose for mentioning The Evil Queen when you were going into labor." Emma answered. It wasn't exactly a lie.

"I'm glad she's helping you. She may be the most brilliant potions expert I've ever worked with, much better than me. Circumstances have prevented me from observing Miss French in such a setting, but I imagine Amelia's skill exceeds or at the very least equivocates hers." Annabel burped, and Regina smiled down at the infant as she resettled her against her chest and then reached for the thermos of coffee.

"You're feeling better. Want to know how I know?" Regina raised an eyebrow over the thermos as she took a huge pull of the caffeinated liquid. She made a face at the amount of sugar but returned for a second sip.

"How's that, Darling?" She purred and then poured more coffee into her mouth.

"Number one, I have a feeling that I'm not getting any of that coffee. Number two, you were feeding our daughter all on your own without calling a nurse. Number three, your vocabulary contains more than grunts and monosyllabic words." Emma ticked off the reasons on her fingers lightheartedly.

"Indeed. Thank you for enduring my grotesque ineloquence. I had begun speculating that your heart also inspired bubbling buckets of vulgarity and incoherence along with an overabundance of emotion. I think I've gained a modicum of control, however. I'm no longer sobbing like an infantile fool over the flavor of my pudding, though I am pleased to have received chocolate every time since the incident." Regina smirked, and Emma rolled her eyes. Now she was just showing off.

Emma wiggled on the cot until she found a comfortable position and allowed the silence to stretch into the morning light peeping around the shades in the dim room. Regina chugged coffee, taking advantage of the fact that she'd not be breastfeeding Annabel for at least another week because of the pain meds in her system.

"I think Lauren is a succubus of sorts," Regina blurted suddenly, a distant but thoughtful expression on her face.

"Like Bo from Lost Girl?" Emma piped, immediately interested. Regina clicked her tongue. She'd watched on episode and immediately turned her nose up at the show.

"Not exactly. There are several types of chi and energy eaters, absorbers, pushers. The list goes on. I simply have no other proper name for them as they all classify as succubus or incubus because they deal with a person's energy or chi or life force. Example, Belle and I are both witches, but we use far different magic, have differing levels of abilities and so on. Amelia can mix magical potions, but she can't activate them. Same concept, different species." Regina explained with far more patience than normal. It was nice, Emma thought, to not be made to feel like a fool.

"So, she like eats… absorbs energy?" Emma asked with a wrinkled nose, the thought sounding as unpleasant as getting succbussed by an angry Bo. One the other hand… Emma shook the thought away and focused on Regina's voice.

"The opposite, actually. I believe Miss Danes exerts energies. Think upon any moment she entered a room. Every person within feels the extension of her emotion. If I speculated her reason for remaining so calm, I theorize that she has a deep understanding and grasp of her gift. While under my employ in the palace stables, I vaguely remember her uncanny ability to break and train even the most volatile creatures. I believe she's gone and tamed Eva Zambrano. I only realized when she touched my hand after Zelena's attack yesterday. It calmed me instantly, which is not normal even with your heart." Regina paused for a breath and a kiss to Annabel's head. Emma grunted.

"Huh. Cool." Emma accepted the explanation easily. What the hell did she know about fairytales and the creatures within them?

"For lack of better terminology, yes, cool. Also potentially dangerous. If she meant to, Lauren may have the ability to control another's will with a simple touch. It explains her sudden erratic behavior. She's expending far too much energy on Eva rather than focusing it inward. Those with naturally abilities, empaths as well, require a lot of affection and a lot of meditation. Her aversion to unnecessary noise only supports my theory." Regina babbled, content to explain Lauren's predicament simply for the sake of talking to Emma.

"Well, Eva has definitely taken that responsibility seriously. And Lauren likes her and respects her, so it shouldn't hurt her too much unless Lauren has some deep deep shit she hasn't dealt with. Eva likes and respects her, too, so I imagine she's helping her deal with it if she does." Emma stayed in the comfortable vein of conversation. It was easier than thinking about the near-empty feeling in her chest. Regina hummed.

"I think she loves her," she commented absently.

"Which one?" Emma asked when she realized the observation applied to both women in terms of what she'd said.

"Both. Either. Someone touched the other first. If I had to guess, I'd say Eva fell first. Soul seers and chi wielders aren't known for developing intimate relationships, but soul seers are particularly skittish about physical contact. Someone as self-aware as Eva never would have allowed such extended contact without a reason." Emma chewed on the words and allowed the silence to stretch as Annabel usurped Regina's full attention when she jerked suddenly in her sleep at mewed like a kitten. The girl was a bundle of intense cuteness. Thank the gods she would take after Regina then, Emma reasoned with a smirk.

"Regina?"

"Hmm?" Regina answered without pulling her lips from the infant's soft hair.

"Do you really believe that you brought everyone back here because you missed me?" Emma's voice was even and nonjudgmental. "Does that mean that you merged The Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke? Is it gone now?" Regina sighed at the barrage of questions and adjusted their daughter's position.

"I don't know the answer to any of those questions, Emma. I've simply had too much time to ponder the possibilities. That's the only one that makes sense. Could you…?" She motioned to Annabel, and Emma gently lifted her from her aching arms and returned her to the crib.

Regina's brow furrowed when Emma returned to the cot without kissing Annabel. She always kissed her. She chocked it up to Emma's sleepless night and pushed away the thought. Emma wiggled onto her side and propped her head on her arm. Regina stared down at bleary green eyes.

"You should sleep, Darling. Ruby has graciously agreed to remain at the house today with Belle, so we can talk more after you've rested." Regina casually excluded the phone call she'd received only 20 minutes before Emma reappeared from the less-than-ecstatic wolf. She protested Regina's reassurances that Emma posed no threat to her or Annabel's safety. Emma seethed, eyes flashing violet.

"Yes, how _gracious_ of her to give me permission to see my fucking fiancée and our magical baby spawn that we created with our prophetic, all-powerful true love bond and my shiny magical heart." Emma sniped sarcastically, her anger surfacing before it was caught and covered with displays of the softer emotions. She flopped around on the cot and turned her back to Regina in attempt to gain control of the glowing ire the simple mention of the wolf's name inspired. Why the hell was she so angry at Ruby now? She'd always known of their connection, even before they entered their relationship completely.

"Emma," Regina said apologetically and rubbed her forehead.

"Just forget it," Emma huffed and buried her face in the pillow before she screamed. Regina stared at her back for a long time, watching the breaths even out as the rage receded and exhaustion took over.

"I love _you_, Emma," she whispered, a hint of tears in her raspy voice.

Emma clenched her teeth, face bunching with the effort of ignoring the sentiment and extra emphasis on the word. Love fluttered in her chest, and she stomped at it like she might a silverfish, too fast to actually be caught but terrifying as hell. The bug latched onto her heart and bit into her soul with tiny razor sharp teeth.

"I love you, too, Regina," she whispered softly, but she knew Regina heard the words when she sighed in relief behind her.

She wasn't strong enough yet, but a few more nights with Amelia pounding the softer emotions from her heart, Emma knew she came close to shutting down everything but the rage. Just a few more nights, and she stared true power in the face. Just a few more nights, and she made herself into the protector that her family deserved.

Just a few more nights, and she became a monster.


	25. Choices

I knew the last chapter would receive some mixed reviews, and I have one thing to say… My Darlings, have I ever lead you astray? Trust me. That said…

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Lay Me Down by The Wreckers, More Love by The Dixie Chicks

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><p>"Emma."<p>

Emma pulled the pillow over her head and groaned. Her body ached and her mind screamed for more sleep. Muffled voices cut through the cotton fluff of the horrific hospital pillow, just enough to irritate her but not enough to distinguish one syllable from the other. In a huff, she jerked the pillow from her head.

"What?" She glared at Eva and Lauren and then at Regina's widely smiling face.

"Eva is releasing me. You need to go get a car seat, and I refuse to leave this hospital one more time in deplorable pink scrubs the nurses are so fond of forcing upon me." Regina explained quickly, wrinkling her nose at the mention of scrubs. Emma rubbed at her contacts with the heels of her hands and waited until the words fully sunk into her hazy brain.

"I have a car seat. It's in my trunk. I bought it back in Boston after the first appointment with Dr. Montgomery. I'll go put it in and warm the car and pull it up to the front doors. Are you good with getting all the details of the follow up appointments for your staples and stuff?" Emma glanced up at her giddy fiancée with bleary, red-rimmed eyes. Emma was exhausted.

"Of course, Darling. Thank you," Regina purred with another smile. She reached out for Emma's hand, slightly hurt when Emma stood and left the room without taking it or at the very least kissing her cheek. Perhaps she hadn't seen her, poor thing looked ready to keel over and die a slow agonizing death of exhaustion. She hadn't even taken her coat.

By the time Emma returned with the car seat detached from the base and a bundle of blankets, her teeth chattered painfully. Regina softened with sympathetic amusement. Emma glared with twinkling eyes and set the car seat on the cot to warm up.

She hung her hands over her hips and mock glared. She wasn't actually upset at Regina who bit her lip and feigned innocence. "Are you making fun of me, Madame Mayor?"

"It's the first week of March in Maine, and you chose to gallivant about in a t-shirt. I have no sympathy," Regina sniffed haughtily and raised her nose in mock condescension. "Yes, Miss Swan, I do believe I mock you."

"Uh huh." Emma shoved her hand beneath the blanket and grabbed her thigh with icy fingers. Regina shrieked with laughter and slapped her shoulder. Emma caught the hand and kissed her fingers, lulling Regina into a false sense of security. The second her eyes slipped shut, she shoved the frigid digits of her other hand against her neck.

"Emma!" Regina slapped her away with one hand and clutched her shirt with the other. Emma grinned like a cheeky little monkey and pressed into her for a kiss, cold hands finding more heated flesh. Regina hissed but ultimately smiled brightly up at her lover.

"If you don't behave, I'll seek Ruby on you," Regina threatened in the same lighthearted voice.

They all made dark vows of such nature regarding each other's particular skill set, Belle warned Ruby about singed fur from her fingertips almost daily, but it snapped the cord of anger tight in Emma's heart. She'd forgotten the pulsing rage in the face of Regina's pending release; the mention of Ruby Lucas reminded her. Emma pulled away and offered taut back muscles to Regina whose face dropped to her lap. Emma summoned heat to her hand and warmed the car seat and blankets.

"I think your mistress brought you clothes yesterday when we thought you were coming home last night." Emma rubbed acid into the gaping wound of their relationship with her choice of words and crossed to the closet. Regina blinked rapidly, dispelling tears before they fell.

"Emma, please talk to me. I don't understand why my relationship with Ruby upsets you so much. I want to, truly, but I simply don't." Regina wiped furiously at her tears as she spoke and prayed Emma opened up.

"She's everywhere, Regina. I don't devalue what she's done for us, but she's fucking everywhere. She lives in our house. She comes up in every conversation. She is entwined in every single aspect of our lives. Even when we lived four hours away, she was still there. When I had my heart, I felt the jealousy but I never doubted our relationship so I never said anything. I knew you were mine. Without my heart…" Emma blew a hard breath through her nose and pulled Regina's clothes from her bag.

"Without your heart, you haven't enough love to balance the jealousy and rage." Regina finished the thought for her. Emma nodded and offered her hand as leverage as Regina scooted to the edge of the bed.

"I get it. I feel the darkness reach for her when she's in close proximity. You bonded with her, but Ruby and I just want to rip out each other's throat. That tells me that she's less than thrilled about my return despite what she keeps saying. She's just as jealous of me as I am of her, like I meant to take that bond away from you guys or something; otherwise, why haven't we bonded like you?" Emma presented the hypothetical as Regina situated herself into a comfortable sitting position.

Regina studied her face so long that Emma thought she'd not even heard a word she'd said. What came out of her mouth was not what Emma expected.

"You're right. That should have been the result. Our relationship wasn't solely based upon our magical connection. By and I experienced a lot together when you were shot and then again in Neverland. She loves me as I am and now perceives you as a threat because I have nothing tying us beyond our mutual respect and love for one another. That's why she's been so violently protective, I presume." They both ignored the blatant neon sign saying that Ruby acted more like a mistress tossed aside when the wifey came home from vacation than a wounded friend.

"How had you not noticed this in The Enchanted Forest? Shouldn't you have felt the lack of connection?" Emma asked innocently. She truly failed to understand how no one noticed their hearts had been swapped.

"I suppose we attributed the changes to Annabel's combined magic. Had I not been carrying a magical baby, we might have noticed sooner. As far as I know, Annabel's type of conception has never happened before. Not even Belle found mention of a child ever being created in such a manner. I think she read every single book in my castle during those four months. Magic bent many rules in our land, but that was never one of them until you and I conceived Annabel. We had no precedent for how my body, magic, and heart reacted to that."

Emma reached around her to untie the gown and considered the explanation; it actually made more sense than anything else they'd discussed this morning. Regina wrapped her arms around her trim waist and pressed a kiss to her collarbone. "Would it help you if I asked her to keep her distance until we figure out how to fix this?"

"That won't solve the problem," Emma countered and fought against the lighter emotions the intimacy of the moment inspired. "That's just a temporary fix."

Regina pressed another kiss to her throat, grinning slightly at the barely controlled shudder that rippled Emma's muscles. "What do you need me to do, Emma?"

"I need you to make her choose. You or Belle. I need you to choose." Emma leaned back and met her confused eyes. "She can't have both of you, not like this, not anymore. This," she gestured between their chests, indicating their hearts, "might be permanent. Things cannot continue as they are if that's the case, not if you two want to remain friends much less under the same roof."

Regina recoiled at the ultimatum. If things remained as they were, Emma intended to make her choose between their love and her intense friendship with Ruby. How was she possibly supposed to make that decision? It destroyed one of the two most important people in her life, second only to her children. Realization slapped her in the face like a cold, slimy piece of raw meat. That was Emma's point. She treated them as equals instead of friend and fiancée. Pained brown eyes met flickering green and violet.

Regina touched her cheek with shaking fingertips. "I'm sorry, Emma. I never meant to do that to you. I'll speak with her. We'll fix this. I doubt either of us actually realized exactly what we were doing to you and Belle. I certainly hadn't until this moment. Can you give us that before you make me choose? Let me try to fix this?"

Emma huffed a sigh and pulled away completely, retreating to Annabel's crib. "You can't choose, can you?" She lifted Annabel and swallowed the tears of rage that sprang into her throat like a gas burner igniting suddenly after a small delay.

"Emma, if I have to, I choose you," Regina said angrily and pulled the shirt over her head without bothering with the bra. "I simply prefer not to choose between two people I care about very deeply. I acknowledge the position we've put you and Belle in, something I had been ignorant of before today. It was incredibly selfish, but, no, I refuse to choose until we've had adequate opportunity to rectify our mistakes."

She challenged Emma's demand with more confidence than she felt. Emma was unpredictable right now. This either resulted in a fight or reluctant concession to her plea. Either way, Emma called her out on their behavior correctly. She and Ruby always danced that line before Pan's debacle, but that shifted in the wrong direction during their time in The Enchanted Forest. They'd created an odd sort of love triangle in Emma's absence, and though they'd never crossed that line physically, clearly they had on some emotional level of which they remained blissfully ignorant.

Regina bowed her head and thought over all the particularly rough nights Ruby had stayed with her and held her far into the morning after they'd awoken. The very first night she had chosen to endure the pain alone was the night before she woke up in Storybrooke. She covered her face and cried softly. She owed Belle a massive apology. No wonder the librarian spent most of her day in the stables or the library with Alex instead of joining their many council meetings. The brilliant witch refused an offer of advisor to the queen, claiming contentment with her books and her daughter despite the obvious desire in her eyes that day to accept. Now, her decision made sense.

"Put you pants on before I get tired of holding them," Emma commanded in a neutral tone as she squatted in front of the bed.

She had already shut herself down, closed herself off to the pain of the conversation. Regina wiped at her eyes and lowered her legs into the loose slacks from the earlier months of pregnancy Emma held out for her and then supported herself on the blonde's shoulders as she slid off the bed. Her fingertips brushed a pad of some sort beneath the thin fabric of her angry partner's shirt. Without thought, she raised the collar and peeked inside as Emma pulled the pants up her legs.

Soft finger tips touched the gauze. "What happened?"

"Magical misfire last night. It's fine," Emma said with a shrug as though Amelia hadn't sliced her open with a dagger while attempting to unleash the darkest emotions in her heart surrounding the most painful events of her life so that she might harness a power activated and strengthened by anger.

"I remember those." Regina tugged on shirt until Emma stood and accepted her embrace. She tucked her head beneath Emma's chin and pressed an ear to her chest. Emma stiffened with the heighten contact of their bodies and tried to focus on something painful in order to cling to her anger.

"Rumpelstiltskin always healed me at the end of our lessons, but once I broke free of his grasp, I suffered through it as any other mortal." Regina sniffed conspicuously and grinned, finally recognizing the scent that had permeated her room since Emma's arrival. "I'm assuming the aroma of old cheese I smell is Amelia's miracle salve?"

Emma nodded and leaned back with her hands clasped behind Regina's neck. It was so damn hard to be angry when she practically felt the unconditional love rolling off Regina in waves. Perhaps her reaction to the Ruby situation merited an apology of her own because she may have slightly overreacted. She acknowledged her own thought in her mind with a hint of sarcasm.

"Baby," she kissed the tip of Regina's nose and then her forehead. "Let's go home." Regina nodded against the lips still pressed to her skin.

Regina ignored her instinct to inform the wolf of their pending arrival and texted Belle from the car instead, praying that she had recovered enough to at least look at the message. Some of the things she said last night had been pure gibberish, others wildly entertaining and embarrassing for her lover, others painful and a clear indication of how much of an emotional toll using magic again took on her. Hopefully, a night of sleep in the arms of the woman she loved restored her clarity.

A 20 minute pit stop at the pharmacy to have Regina's pain medication filled and a short drive later, Emma pulled up the sidewalk in front of her walkway. Obviously, one of them saw the text because Ruby opened the door and started down the walk before Emma ever killed the engine. The passenger door opened, and Regina shivered against the sudden gust of cold air. The wolf's intention of helping Regina to the house, leaving Emma to carry Annabel and their bags, clear. Regina's brow furrowed now that she'd been properly reprimanded for their behavior. How had they come to this place?

Emma clenched her jaw and reached into the backseat to cover the infant's head with a thick bundle of blankets tucked around her tiny body, appreciating the fact that her daughter fussed very little, unlike her son. He'd been a pain in the ass for the first four months of his life. He cried constantly until she discovered just the right way to hold him. Emma swallowed roughly, reminding herself that those were Regina's memories and not her own.

Regina cleared her throat, catching the attention of both women. "Ruby, will you pretty please carry our bags and Annabel inside?" A warm hand found Emma's thigh. She grabbed the steering wheel and pulled her body back to the front seat to find apologetic brown eyes awaiting her reaction. "Emma will escort me."

For the first time in what felt like weeks, Emma smiled, a genuine, heartfelt, tooth-showing, take-Regina's-breath-away smile that made her cheeks ache instantly as she activated underused muscles. She scrambled from the car and nearly hip bumped a dumbfounded Ruby out of the way in her haste to fulfill the request. Regina promised to try and rectify her mistakes, and what just occurred made a huge leap in the right direction.

Regina held her arm tightly and took her time, stopping every few steps up the long walk to wince and gather her strength. Emma waved Ruby around them, wanting Annabel out of the cold as quickly as possible. The wolf acquiesced silently but not without a hard look. Halfway up the walk, Belle and Henry appeared at the door. The recovering librarian looked much better but waited on the stoop, cradling a tiny gray, white and black striped kitten no bigger than her hand. Henry, however, sprinted to his mothers and took up Regina's other arm around his shoulders.

"I'm glad you're home, Moms." He grinned toothily up at them, and Regina kissed his hair, frowning at the fact that she no longer leaned over to reach him. Where had this little man come from?

"Me too, kid. Hospitals make me twitchy," Emma answered. Regina nodded. The place inspired too many horrible memories for everyone.

Once inside the foyer and out of the cold, Belle pulled them each into a one-armed hug while Henry clamored towards the living room to fawn over his new sister. He seemed to be much better than the day he recovered his memories. Emma suspected that Belle's presence and unwavering support played a huge part in that. He only just begun the healing and grieving process, but his general happy demeanor gave them hope that it was possible.

Belle offered her free hand to Regina when she faltered on the first of the five stairs leading to the foyer. She hissed through the pain and accepted the extra support, uncaring if Emma disapproved. She didn't, not when Regina clearly needed two people to assist her with the climb. Once at the top, she paused, recovered, continued towards the living room, paused again. Her mind and body warred for dominance. On one hand she wished nothing more than a sponge bath from Emma and her bed, but she wanted to spend time with her family as well.

Belle saved her with her ever-present forgiveness and quick mind. "Regina, we understand. Go lay down. Ruby can keep an eye on the kids, and I'll make some lunch while you rest. You've moved more in the past 20 minutes than the past 9 days combined." She touched her shoulder and then met Emma's eyes. Something dark passed over the baby blues, and Emma twitched uncomfortably.

"I found a porcelain basin in Gold's shop this morning," she said nonchalantly as though the words meant nothing more than their intended meaning. Her eyes told Emma she was in for an ass-chewing later. "I thought it perfect until your incision heals. It's in your bathroom."

Ruby chose that moment to appear. The kitten hissed. Ruby hissed back and glared at the tiny beast. Emma snorted and Regina bit her lip. Life in the Mills-Swan-Lucas household became ten times more interesting. Ruby huffed.

"Do you need help getting up to your room?" She forced out, directing the question to Regina but meeting Emma's eyes. Her twisted features actually looked pained at having to ask permission to do anything with or for Regina. The overprotective wolf read people far better than anyone realized, and right now both Emma and Regina screamed for her presence to disappear. She hadn't deciphered why yet, but that mattered very little when she clearly wasn't wanted, though she may have been needed.

Regina touched her arm affectionately, sensing her struggle. "That won't be necessary. Emma will poof us. Thank you for the offer and keeping an eye on Henry and Annabel until I get settled." She met the wolf's eyes, and silent understanding passed between them. Regina needed space from her right now, not that she dismissed her feelings or her offer of help. She simply needed Emma. Ruby nodded, stepped backwards, glared at the kitten and then returned to the living room.

Well, fuck, there went half of her fodder for her angry heart, Emma thought. Belle's eyes narrowed at the very un-Ruby-like behavior. Something transpired between them at the hospital while she'd been unconscious, and if someone hadn't filled her in by the end of the day, she determined to rant about it until someone, namely Ruby, did. For the moment, she released the kitten on the floor, hugged both women again, and disappeared into the kitchen.

Emma's shoulders sagged under the relief of only Regina's presence. Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's neck and barely pressed their torsos together, ever mindful of her aching surgical area. "Emma…"

They flashed before Regina finished her thought, and suddenly their bedroom surrounded them. "Are you okay to undress yourself? I'll get some warm water." Regina nodded and Emma released her, disappearing into the bathroom without further comment.

By the time she struggled out of her pants and sat on the bed, Emma emerged with a towel over her shoulder and large basin of soapy water in her hands. Kneeling before the love of her life, Emma felt something inside of her snap, crash and explode. The gesture was so submissive, so like the great heroes from Gilgamesh to Emma Swan. They all knelt before a goddess who promised to save their souls, show them the right path.

Regina sensed the change and touched her cheek, thumb brushing over a suddenly damp cheekbone. "What's wrong, Darling?"

"I love you," Emma blurted as though it were the answer to her question and not how she felt.

"I love you, too, Emma." She smiled and wiped her own tear before it fell. "Please tell me what's bothering you."

"I love you," Emma repeated and dropped her gaze. Finally, Regina understood.

"You don't believe you're strong enough to defeat Zelena because your love for me hinders your rage." Regina raised her chin with gentle but firm fingers. Bright green eyes met brown.

Emma snorted self-deprecatingly and shook her head. "I know I'm not. I probably couldn't even light a fireball right now."

Regina released the now sloppy pony tail and threaded her fingers into tangled blonde hair. "You are, Darling. I understand your struggle. The constant second guessing of how far you're willing to go." Regina sighed, almost hating herself for what she planned to say next.

"Emma, Zelena will kill Annabel if we don't stop her. She will kill me and Belle and Ruby and you and Alex and Henry and anyone else she perceives as a threat. She's strong and she is absolutely insane. She cannot see reason. I know all too well the look I saw in her eyes that day. I'd seen it many times in my own mirror. Even with my heart, I'm not certain I'd have bested her, especially not in my current weakened state." She stopped to press a kiss to the corners of Emma's mouth.

"But I'm also not willing to lose you." Emma touched her thighs softly at the confession, and Regina jerked in surprise, not having expected the affectionate gesture.

"Make me a promise, Emma. Outside these four walls, you can rage as much as you need to in order to stay strong and hone your magical abilities, but when we're here in our room, alone, let me take care of you. Let your love back inside, even if it's only a small amount. I'll let you dance with the devil, Darling, but you better damn well believe that I'll cut in when you get too close."

Emma dropped her forehead to her partner's chest. "Regina." She was wrong. Regina understood exactly what needed to be done, exactly what she needed to do.

Warm lips and tender hands found blonde hair. "I know, Sweetheart." She forced her tears away with a pointed sigh. "I'd never ask you to do this if there were another way. I can't lose our children. We endured far too much to create our family. It's worth fighting for. They are worth fighting for. _We_ are worth fighting for, and if you need to explore your darkness to do that, let me be the light that brings you back. I choose our family. I choose _you_, Emma."

A half-sob half-hiccup moved Emma's chest. Apparently, it had only taken 30 minutes and one interaction with Ruby for Regina to recognize the truth behind Emma's ultimatum. "I choose you, too. I don't want to do this." Emma made her confession in a pained, breathy whisper.

Regina tightened her hold in Emma's hair. "I know. I'll save you, Darling. Trust me. I'll save you while you save our family from being torn apart again." Tears flowed freely into the words, and Regina allowed them.

They cried together for what felt like forever. Eventually, Emma wiped her eyes and pulled away to meet Regina's eyes. The mayor smiled and touched her cheek, swiping at the wetness with her thumb.

"Have Amelia use a thinner blade next time, they don't leave such large gashes, which leaves more skin to damage. Also, tell her to flick her wrist with the whip. It leaves deeper marks in the flesh." Regina casually offered advice for torture as though she corrected a cake recipe.

Emma raised her eyebrows and sputtered but no words passed her lips. "I mentored that girl for years, Emma, almost my entire reign as Evil Queen. It may have been a very long time ago, but I still recognize my own methods of creating a magical monster." One side of a pale mouth lifted in a smile of pride and awe as Regina searched her eyes.

"You knew the second you woke up and I was gone last night, didn't you?" Emma finally blurted, confused as hell by Regina's reaction.

Regina hummed and nodded thoughtfully. "I suspected when you kissed neither me nor Annabel until after you'd napped. Confirmed when I smelled Amelia's cream and saw the gauze and whip marks on your back." She trailed her fingers into Emma's hair and pressed their lips together in a chaste but deeply meaningful kiss.

"I may have your beautiful loving heart, Darling, but my memories are my own. If I knew how to activate this idiotic organ, I'd have done so by now. As that seems impossible unless faced with life or death situations, I'll navigate you through the intricate pathways of a demonic heart in your chest."

Emma sputtered some more. What the hell just happened? Had Regina truly just granted her permission to basically become evil? Regina smirked.

"Miss Swan, as we are currently in the one room where your anger is not welcome, bathe me before the water cools completely. Your heart is rather exhausting and I have not had a bath in over a week, at least not one I've enjoyed as much as I intend to enjoy this one." Regina pushed her shoulders away and raised an eyebrow when Emma toppled onto her ass, too shocked to catch herself.

"I could just magic you clean," Emma offered and picked herself up with red cheeks and burning ears.

Regina pursed her lips and nodded thoughtfully. "You could, but what fun would that be?"

Emma failed to stop the smirk that spread on her lips. Sassy Regina with a heart of gold presented a whole new unexpected challenge she very much looked forward to taking on. "You're really not mad, are you?"

"Oh, I'm livid, Miss Swan." Regina grabbed her chin and held her gaze, allowing her own righteous anger out to play. "If you ever lie or try to deceive or manipulate me again, you won't have to tap my heart to catch a glimpse of The Evil Queen."


	26. Shameless

So, this one was completely unplanned, and I have neither excuse nor regret. We all needed this before we pulled our hair out.

Thank you for the fantastic and thoughtful reviews. They make my day as much as fresh updates make yours!

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Let's Go (Geronimo) by Audiogroove, You Save Me by Kenny Chesney

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><p>Regina shivered. Tiny spots of wetness moved over her stomach and chest, and she furrowed her brow as her mind fought through the haze of the pain pill she'd taken before nodding off after Emma's rather luxuriously drawn out sponge bath. She smiled into the memory, and the same wetness covered her mouth. Oh, that explained a lot. She moaned as her body reacted with a shiver immediately followed by goose bumps across her arms and stomach. When those delicious lips disappeared, she cracked an eye.<p>

Mischievous green eyes twinkled down at her. "Whoops, did I wake you?" Emma propped her head on her hand and smirked at the resulting death glare.

"Go away. I'm resting." Regina readjusted her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. How long had Addison said? Six weeks after a hysterectomy? Emma Swan would be the death of her. She knew it. Four weeks and five days to go, she puffed a sigh. On a happy note, sex no longer revolved around the three weeks of the month she wasn't shedding useless tissue. Emma was at her beck and call every single day of the month now. A smile and blush spread across her cheeks.

Emma's smirk grew into a grin, which turned into a full blown smile that mirror Regina's. "Uh huh. I think you're counting the days in your head until this mouth can go somewhere else."

Regina licked her lips. "You may resume kissing me now, Miss Swan," she said queenly, and Emma's lower stomach clenched. Happy Regina was amazing. Happy Sassy Regina took her breath away. Happy Sassy Horny Regina damn near gave her a heart attack. Suddenly, finding a way to reclaim their proper hearts wasn't such a pressing matter.

Emma trailed one finger from her throat to her just above her belly button. "Only if you put on the purple lipstick," she negotiated.

Regina cracked one eye and waved her hand. The tube of that delicious color appeared in her hand. She applied it expertly in a thick coat and then tossed it to the night stand. "I'm afraid I'll mark you everywhere, Darling. I haven't blotted." Her tone told Emma that she wasn't even a little bit sorry.

Emma shrugged with one shoulder. "I could use some color on these pale lips." She winced, wishing her retort had been sexier, but Regina finally opened her eyes and looked at her fully.

Brown eyes flicked down her body and back to hers immediately. "Yes," she purred, "you could."

Emma jerked bodily, bumping Regina's thigh with her knee. The mayor pursed her lips. "Strip, Darling, and come here." She pointed at her lips. "Don't make me wait."

Emma swore she channeled her inner feline. She propelled herself from the bed while laying down, somehow managed to land on her feet and removed her clothing in record time. Regina wiggled to the middle of the bed and propped herself on a pile of pillows, ensuring Emma's pleasure not hindered by her physical limitations.

With intense hyperawareness, Emma straddled her chest and then looked down at those hazy brown eyes, suddenly nervous. "Are you sure?"

"If you fall on me, I am withholding until I am completely healed," Regina threatened and Emma swallowed thickly with a nod.

She edged further until her center hovered over Regina's face when a knock tapped against the door. Emma banged her head onto the board she clung to the wood for dear life. "Emma, Regina, I brought your lunch up." Belle's timid voice filtered through the door.

Regina grinned wickedly and pressed a kiss to Emma's clit. "Just leave it at the door," Emma strained. Fire exploded in her belly, and a moan vibrated her throat. Had it been Ruby, she'd have heard the low noise.

"But the kitten might…"

"Miss French!" Regina interrupted. "Unless you'd like me to create a curse that prevents you from ever experiencing another orgasm, you will leave immediately." She threatened and swiped one finger through Emma's already soaked folds, and Emma moaned involuntarily at the sudden pressure the miniscule stimulation cause between her legs. A thump of Belle stumbling, rattling of porcelain, and the hasty clack of retreating heels met their ears.

Regina grabbed a firm cheek and urged Emma forward. She wanted to taste Emma as much as Emma needed this release. The uncontrollable, ever-present urge to make Emma feel good all the time came from the new love in her chest, but rather than fight it and analyze it to death, Regina decided simply to follow the whims where they took her. When she swiped a flat tongue through Emma's wet lips, the resulting curse told her that Emma's agreed with her plan.

"Fuck." Hips rolled into Regina's face, and Emma froze. Regina pulled back enough to meet her wide, terrified eyes.

"I didn't have surgery on my face, Darling. I'll tap your back like this," she tapped in quick succession on the back of her ribs, "if you hurt me. Deal?" Emma nodded.

Nails trailed from her ribs and across her ass. A hot, wet tongue slipped into her velvety muscles, pulling a hiss through clenched teeth. Regina took her time, sliding the firm muscle in and out in a languorous, teasing pace and urged Emma's hips with her hands.

Emma panted from resisting the primal passion pulsing aching tendrils of energy into her belly that spread all the way to her fingertips. Between the gentle permission of firm pressure on her ass and the increasing strokes of her lover's skilled tongue, Emma gave in. Hips bucked, nails dug into the wood beneath them. Regina would have grinned if her mouth wasn't otherwise occupied.

Fire burned Emma's veins, and she moaned loudly without a trace of shame or reservation. Regina hummed, sending pulsing vibrations into the scorching flesh in her mouth.

"Fuck! Baby… Regina… please." Emma babbled incoherently and dropped her forehead to an arm across the top of the headboard. Regina understood perfectly.

With one final firm stroke, two fingers replaced the slick muscle. Emma whimpered and rolled her hips into the digits, happily impaling herself to save Regina the effort. It was wonderful, but it wasn't enough. Regina sensed her lover's frantic frustration and added another finger.

Emma's head fell between her shoulder blades as her back arched into the pressure she so desperately needed. Regina scraped her teeth across the hard nub of nerves before her and then sucked it between her lips. She faltered slightly when she actually felt Emma's pounding pulse on the tongue teasing her clit. Had Emma felt her primal need through her body's involuntary signals?

Emma's hips jerked erratically, bringing her mind back to the task at hand. The body above her shimmered in the dim light from the microscopic droplets of moisture the heat of her passion produced. Muscles clenched around her fingers, and she curled the tips into the rough patch of nerves inside her lover. Emma's back arched so violently that Regina feared she'd lose her grip on the headboard. The strong hands held fast, the wood creaking and groaning beneath the pressure.

"Fuck. Fuck! FUCK!" Emma's expletives grew in volume with each thrust.

Muscles clenched around her fingers. Emma's body shuddered. "REGINA!" And then silence. Emma's body froze in the wanton position, back arched, head thrown back, mouth opened in a silent scream. A woman possessed.

Regina winced as the walls around her fingers sucked at the digits painfully. Even at full strength, she'd have struggled to retrieve them. All at once, the air suspended around Emma whooshed and swirled. She collapsed forward, catching her head on a forearm a moment before it banged off the wood. Try explaining that one to Eva when they both ended up in the ER because Emma knocked herself out and fell on top of her.

Emma's chest heaved once, paused when her body shuddered, dropped again with a gasp. The vice grip on her fingers loosened slightly, plastering a wicked grin to Regina's lips. She pulled out slowly as though she might relinquish the power she held over her lover. Emma shuddered and gasped with the continuous ripples of pleasure the gentle movement pulsed into her scorching body.

Hazy green eyes met brown, widening with something resembling shock when Regina's eyes told her that she wasn't finished. One side of Regina's mouth raised as the tips of her fingers reached Emma's entrance at that precise moment. Damn she was good.

Three fingers thrust into her already clenching, rippling center. "Fuck me." It started as an exclamation. "Fuck me." Turned into a plea.

"Regina, fuck me! Please, fuck me. Fuck me." And dissolved into shameless begging when Regina wickedly stilled her fingers.

"I like it when you beg," she purred up at her delirious lover. "Do it again."

Emma whimpered, stomach muscles quivering painfully. "Regina, please," she begged without a hint of shame and rolled her hips.

Regina tilted her head, pretending not to have heard her, when Emma opened her eyes. Emma almost came on the spot from the sheer dirtiness of the moment. "Fuck me, you goddamn tease of a gorgeous sex goddess." She rolled her hips. Regina smirked. Emma's sex clenched. Regina sank further into the moment. The sheer act of making Emma beg was getting her blonde lover off.

"Regina, Baby, please." Emma whined and rolled her hips. A sigh puffed against Regina's face from the force with which it left Emma's mouth. Still she withheld her lover's only desire.

"Fuck me!" She rolled her hips relentlessly against Regina's hand, but it wasn't the same as feeling Regina move of her own volition.

"Goddamn it, woman! FUCK. ME!" Regina was wrong. A little bit of anger was welcome any time in this room.

"Regina, take me," Emma pleaded, switching tactics. "I'm yours. Please baby, fuck me. Fuck me. Please, Regina." When she thought Emma might actually cry from the frustration, Regina slammed into her again.

Emma cried out and bucked against her hand. "Fuck me. I'm yours, Regina." She babbled as the fingers pounded into her. She'd have said anything to prolong the movement.

"Beg," Regina ordered when a gasp caught Emma's words in her throat. Nails scraped the welts on her back, leaving tracks of their own.

"Fuck you!" Emma yelled in frustration. Regina jerked back in surprise. "Please, don't stop." Emma immediately rectified her outburst, a hint of fear in her eyes as she glanced down. Regina bit her lip and almost laughed out loud.

"Please, Regina. Please, Baby." Emma returned to her submissive begging. Her eyes slammed shut when Regina moved within her once more.

"Fuck me," she whispered and hid her face in the crook of her arm. Muscles burned everywhere, her legs, back, arms stomach. She was Regina's puppet, a slave to whatever whim struck her demanding lover.

"I'm yours, Regina. Don't stop. Baby, please." She babbled as her muscles clenched.

When Regina's tongue slid over her clit, she arched back, barely catching her finger tips on the headboard. "Fuck!"

Regina pulled back enough to speak. "Who do you belong to?" Plum lips pulled the bundle of nerves into her mouth.

"YOU!" Emma yelled at the top of her lungs. "I belong to you! Fuck me, Regina!"

Satisfied, she forced her pinky into Emma's tight muscles and pounded her with quick, dominating thrusts. Pressure exploded between Emma's legs, and something happened that neither one ever expected or strove for. With a sharp intake of air as the only warning, Emma toppled over the edge with a high pitched scream on her lips. If those downstairs hadn't heard her before, they certainly had now.

Regina stilled in shock, almost choking on the spontaneous torrent of liquid squirting into her mouth, and simply watched the moment unfold. Emma slumped bodily onto the headboard, jellied muscles no longer able to support her weight. Emma whimpered and then winced when Regina pulled free, inspiring another nerve tingling wave of pleasure to tear through her body.

"'Gin.. Regi…move!" Emma forced out. Regina called her blood's magic and flashed to a standing position by the bed as Emma lost all control and toppled backwards onto the bed.

Regina moved to the foot and sat beside Emma's head. Bleary green eyes blinked slowly at the ceiling and then slammed shut when a fierce wave broke against her already quivering muscles. Emma tried to bite her lip, failed, whimpered, shivered with the continuous waves of pleasure still rippling beneath her skin. Regina raised an eyebrow and observed her lover's orgasm draw itself out. She broke Emma.

Her mouth cooled oddly, and Regina wiped her hand over her lips in chin. Her hand came away covered in the juice of her lover's passion. She swiped it across the comforter hanging over the foot of the bed until the moisture rubbed away and repeated the process twice more before collecting all the wetness from her face, chest and neck. The tart tang of lipstick and Emma lingered on her tongue. She grinned like a lascivious Cheshire cat and threaded her fingers into damp, tangled blonde hair.

"MMmm. Leave a message. Beeeeep." Emma muttered and tossed as arm over her eyes with a giggle. Regina loosed a throaty laugh, and Emma lazily raised her shaking arm to look up at her with hazy green eyes. It returned to her face with a _slap_ when another rolling, gentler wave crashed into her. Emma groaned. The overstimulation was as painful as it was unbelievably pleasurable.

Regina scratched her scalp and studied the bit of face available. "Darling, can you move to the head?"

A high pitched whine vibrated Emma's nose. "Broken," she confessed and then fake cried when another muscle spasm between her legs electrocuted her entire body once more.

Regina pushed herself up and snagged a pillow from the pile. With an amused lick of her lips, she pulled the soaked and probably destroyed pillowcase free and tossed it to the floor. The pillow followed when she searched for and found that it had already soaked through. Luckily, it was the only one as it was on top. The next two were spared the drenching Emma gave her face and chest and the pillow where she rested her head. When she recovered properly, Emma Swan's next task became changing their bedding.

She tossed the pillows down, hitting Emma in the chest and face with one. It remained there, apparently requiring too much effort to move. Regina wiggled her already protesting body until she lay flat on her back next to her incapacitated lover. Knuckles brushing Emma's hip, she settled in and waited for Emma's recovery.

With a groan, the arm over her eyes slapped the pillow on her chest and pulled it free, somehow managing to sling it behind her head with jerking, uncoordinated movements. "There's food outside," Emma muttered without opening her eyes. Her voice rasped and rumbled, clearly abused from the begging and then her huge operatic finish.

Regina chuckled, wishing she could have turned on her side and stared down at Emma but contented herself with angling her body away and propping her head behind her arm. She slid a foot over Emma's thigh and then tucked her calf between her lover's legs. "You screamed."

Emma groaned and flung her arm over her face again. "Our son is scarred for life." Regina chuckled again, a wave of affection swelling her chest. "Is it bad that I don't actually care right now?"

Regina cleared her throat, and Emma slid her arm to her forehead and cracked an eye. "What?"

"I want to hold you," Regina confessed and pointed at her stomach. Emma winced. Of course, Regina wanted to hold her.

Though she never cried or anything quite so dramatic, Emma had always required cuddles after making love, especially when getting particularly rough or dominating with Regina. Regina just blew her feeble attempts out of the water with her last C4-laced performance. Emma figured she practically ached in that moment for the softer touches that filled their relationship.

Ignoring her rubbery muscles and growling stomach, Emma squirmed to Regina's side with her pillow. She fumbled for a moment with where exactly her body should go to avoid causing pain to the recovering mayor. Regina saved her by raising her arm. Emma tucked her pillow beneath her shoulder for support before settling her head into the crook of Regina's shoulder. Regina snagged her hand and pulled it over her ribs; Emma went one step further and bent it at the elbow, cradling her swollen breast tenderly in a palm and splayed fingers. Regina needed to pump soon. Her breasts looked ready to pop from the pressure. How long had they napped?

"Do they hurt much, Baby?" Emma rasped and futilely cleared her throat. The raw soreness of overuse had already set in.

Regina hummed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Yes, quite a bit." Emma pulled her hand away gently. "Don't." Regina covered the back of her hand with one of her own. "Hold me, Emma."

Emma understood. The body always came second to emotions when love became tangled in the mix. It's what made people do insane things like drive four hours to accompany her lover to a pool party and take bullets to the gut and jagged pieces of wood to the face and wolf claws to the back and magical Fairy magic vortexes of electrocution into the veins and magical knives to the chest and arrows to the stomach and legs and magical pulses to the chest or back or belly and tap life forces to a potentially fatal degree.

No matter how angry they may have become towards one another, the same thing motivated the four Heroines of Storybrooke. Love. They loved their family. They loved their children. And as much as it pained Ruby and Emma to admit in this situation, they loved each other with an unbreakable fierceness and unconditional loyalty.

Emma glanced up at her partner's serene face and closed eyes. "Regina?" The woman attached to the name hummed and raised her eyebrows without opening her eyes.

"I meant what I said when I told you that things between you and Ruby can't continue the way they are, but I don't want to make you choose between us. I care about her, too, as much as she pisses me off right now. Can we just take it one day or one interaction at a time?" Emma almost apologized but reminded herself at the last minute that she had nothing to be sorry about.

Things between the wolf and witch had progressed into acutely uncomfortable territory, which also explained Belle's sudden promiscuity. She riled Ruby's wolf and distracted the emotionally drifting woman with her body. Anger flared in Emma's chest. She loved Belle deeply, but they'd never done anything towards each other to cause such doubt and worry in their respective partners. The fact that the insecure woman had suffered in silence for months boiled her blood.

Regina opened her beautiful brown eyes and smiled down at the incredible woman in her arms. "Thank you, Emma. I do intend to speak with her. I think perhaps a sit down between the four of us would prove beneficial. Do you agree?"

Emma hummed and nodded, but instead of an answer, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Darling," Regina returned easily and pressed lips to a now clammy forehead, cold from cooling sweat. Regina flicked her wrist, conjuring a fresh blanket from the linen closet.

Emma groaned, both in pleasure now that her heat stopped escaping and grumbling acceptance of her pending domestic task. "Does this mean I have to change the bed later?"

Regina chuckled. "You made it dirty." Emma scoffed in mock frustration.

"I think you're completely at fault for this one. Curse you and your sex goddess skills." Emma rasped lazily, not even bothering to feign irritation any longer. Their combined heat lulled her spent body into that blissful place between sleep and wakefulness.

Regina readjusted her head against Emma's. "I don't think Belle and Ruby heard any complaints downstairs."

Emma groaned. She wasn't living this one down anytime soon. "You don't get to nap naked after sponge baths anymore."


	27. Misunderstood

*hides behind laptop* Don't throw too much at me. The beast is supposed to be misunderstood! And with that cryptic note, Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Don't let Me Go by Raign, Mz. Hyde by Halestorm

* * *

><p>By the time Emma and Regina napped, cleaned themselves properly and dressed, darkness descended upon the house. Regina practically begged for her breast pump, and Emma obliged by flashing her into the living room where she presumed their bags remained. The downstairs was dark and quiet, far too quiet to have three children under the roof. Emma flipped on a light and retreated from the horrid sound of her lover's breasts being sucked dry by a machine. Her stomach growled and grumbled anyway.<p>

The closer she came to the kitchen, the louder the faint music became. Belle was obviously home if the depressing twang of the song indicated anything. Although, her music choice generally included more upbeat or at the very least lovey dovey country songs. The energy felt wrong, and Emma's hackles raised. Had her warning system failed?

"Belle?" She found the librarian at the island with a cold cup of tea, a stack of books and a sleeping Annabel in her car seat. Her hand held her forehead as though she'd been reading in that position when she'd begun crying.

The woman sniffed and wiped at her eyes, but Emma immediately recognized a crying woman when she saw one, even in a barely lit room. "Hello Emma." She cleared her throat of the rasp of tears but made no other movement or noise.

Emma crossed to the stove and flipped on the much dimmer light above it, not wanting to startle her friend any more than she had. "Are you going to make me ask or can we just skip the bullshit and jump straight into you telling me what's wrong?"

Belle huffed and wiped at her eyes without raising her head from her other hand. "Ruby and I had a fight after I came back downstairs. She's at Granny's with Henry and Alex. I made her take them since you were… getting reacquainted."

She dropped her hand to the book in front of her. It looked like an ancient journal of some sort. "And I found this." She touched the words. "The Prophecy of the Truest Believer and The Lost Soul."

Emma snatched the book and held it to the light. She huffed in frustration and tossed it back to Belle. "I can't read that language."

The librarian pulled it back to her with two fingers and flipped until she found the right page. "Do you want me to read it to you word for word or summarize?"

Emma moved to the coffee pot and chewed on the question until she'd finished fixing her cup of caffeine. There was always coffee when Belle was in the house. "Since it's probably chock full of cryptic bullshit and riddles, can you just tell me?"

Belle nodded and trailed her fingers over the old pages. "You know the basics already. Truest Believer saves Lost Soul over and over. Soul mates. True Love. Constant separation. We were right when we assumed that you also suffered. Basically, Regina is going to be angry and depressed by the constant loss with brief interludes of happiness when you're together. The emotional toll of constantly reuniting with your soul mate will eventually drive you insane, Emma." Belle pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes and then massaged her scalp. She must have another migraine. Her big brain caused enough of them without the added stress of fighting with Ruby and getting chi sucked.

"Are you familiar with the myth of Hercules? Made insane by Hera, kills his family. That's what this is telling me will eventually happen to you." She decidedly left out the fact that Regina knew that part if she'd read the prophecy before, which she clearly had. Why hadn't she told Emma?

Emma stared into her coffee cup, so she continued, "It also says it can be nullified. An act of pure love can break the cycle."

Emma grunted. "Pure love. It says pure love and not true love?" Belle nodded. "What's the difference?"

Belle shrugged. "It says, 'The Truest Believer may transfer essence of the heart with a solitary and selfless act of pure love, thus redeeming The Lost Soul into the light of goodness.' This is a terribly written prophecy as far as prophecies go." Belle wrinkled her nose in distaste.

Emma grinned at her odd quirks. "We created a child, shouldn't that be pure enough?" Belle shrugged. "Why are we still fighting for Regina's happiness and my sanity?" Belle huffed. "What the hell if the difference between True Love and 'pure love?'"

"I don't know!" Belle flung the book across the room towards her library and dropped her head to both hands, squeezing her temples against the pain of the sudden outburst. Emma froze. Belle rarely lost her temper in such a way. She was the calmest and most grounded person Emma knew.

Emma reached across the island and touched the cool marble, not sure if her friend appreciated her touch in such a distraught state. "Do you want an Excedrin?" Belle nodded without raising her head or moving her hands.

Emma moved to the desk in the library where Belle kept the medicine on hand at all times. When she returned with two of the tiny white oblong pills, Belle's haunted voice stilled her progress. She wasn't talking, she sang along with the depressing song.

"Between the sandy beaches and the margaritas thought I'd find a way to let you go, but there's not enough tequila in Mexico." She sniffed but allowed the tears to drip down her face.

"Belle," Emma breathed and set a comforting hand on her shoulder and shoved the pills under her nose with the other. Belle tossed them into her mouth and drank her cold tea with a disgusted expression.

She dropped her head back to her hands without wiping her tears, and Emma's heart ached. "Do you want me to make you some more hot water?" Belle nodded. Wordlessly, Emma filled the kettle and set it atop the burner, lighting it at the same time.

She sighed as her brow furrowed. Belle was a wreck. "What happened with Ruby?" She broached the subject gently.

Belle covered her eyes with both hands when fresh tears cascaded down her face. "I think she left me." Her voice was high and tight and distorted with tears.

Anger slapped Emma in the chest, and she forced a deep breath into her nostrils. It took several before she felt calm enough to continue. "What do you mean? What happened?"

Belle sniffed and raised her head, not bothering to wipe the wet evidence of her grief from her cheeks. "I wanted to know what happened between the three of you while I was unconscious. I pushed. She got defensive and said that it was none of my damn business and then stormed upstairs. I thought she'd just gone to get her cape or cool down. She came back with a few bags, told me she was taking Alex and Henry to some place safer since Zelena was after Annabel and Regina and possible me. When I asked her when she planned on returning, she told me that she wasn't sure if she was coming back and that I should stay here where you and Regina could protect me."

Belle collapsed into another flood of tears, but Emma sensed that she hadn't finished speaking and held her tongue. She rounded the counter and rubbed soothing circles on her friend's back, gasping in surprise when Belle flung arms around her waist and buried her face in her chest. After a few minutes, she calmed and hiccupped as she composed herself enough to speak.

Without moving her head from Emma's chest, she continued, "I asked why she was doing this. She'd never run from a fight before, and we're stronger together. I called her out on the fact that she used the kids as an excuse. She just said that she had some stuff to figure out and that she'd call me. And then she left. She just left. I let Henry and Alex go without a fight because I didn't want them to get involved. I hope that's okay." She added, clearly trying to keep the peace for the sake of their already traumatized kids.

"That's fine," Emma soothed at least one of her worries and kissed the crown of her head.

They fell into silence, content to hold each other for a moment. Belle readjusted her head after a few minutes and sighed. "Can I tell you something without you getting weird and freaked out or thinking I feel something more than I do?"

Emma's brow furrowed and she wetted her lips. Clearly, Belle needed something right now. "Sure. I'll do my best."

"Sometimes, I wish you and I were soul mates." Emma tensed, and Belle tightened her grip. "Don't worry, I don't even feel sexual attraction for you, Emma. It's just… you fight so hard for Regina. You made a magical baby with your love. You shared a True Love bond in a world with no magic. I wish someone fought for me or loved me half as much as you love her. That's all. I'm perfectly happy with just being your friend. So, I fantasize about the idea or you, not you directly." Belle explained her thoughts as best she could. As brilliant as the timid librarian was, she often stuck her foot in her mouth or said things that only she understood.

Emma relaxed and kissed her hair again. She understood perfectly. "You're not wrong to want that, Belle. Ruby is… Ruby. I sort of drop kicked her in the teeth the past couple of days, proverbially speaking of course. I called her and Regina out on this weird connection thingy that they have. I told them it has to stop, at least the tense moments where I think they might actually start making out has to stop. Regina gets it, but apparently, Ruby isn't quite there yet. We actually just discussed sitting the four of us down and hashing everything out. That's what you missed while you were out." Emma took a breath and then never started again. Belle needed a moment to digest the torrent of information.

Belle huffed sigh and pulled back when the kettle whistled. "I worked so hard."

Emma rounded the counter and retrieved a tea bag and fresh cup for her friend. "What do you mean, Honey?"

Belle accepted the warm cup with a grateful smile. "I should have been a cowboy," she muttered as she added honey to her tea. Emma shook her head, happy to see a glimpse of her weirdo friend.

She sipped her lukewarm coffee. "You have got to stop listening to so much country music, woman," Emma teased and then sobered. "Ruby loves you, Belle. I don't think she's left permanently. I think she just doesn't know what she feels right now. Maybe she just needs space?"

Belle huffed and stirred her tea. "I worked so hard to forgive Regina because I knew how much she meant to Ruby. I'd never take it back because I have come to care for Regina as her own person and not simply my girlfriend's best friend, and I'm grateful beyond words to finally have a family where I am loved and accepted, even if you all think I'm perfectly odd at times. I won't give any of you up, not even Granny if she decides that I'm not what she wants." Her face fell, and her tone told Emma exactly how unworthy Ruby had made her feel.

She slammed her coffee cup on the counter behind her. "Stop. Right there. Don't you dare let that idiot make you feel like this is because of something you did." She stopped and caught her breath before the anger took over. Belle needed her right now.

"You haven't done anything wrong. If anyone should be feeling unworthy right now, it's Ruby. She's the one who fucked up. You have given her absolutely everything, and she just keeps taking. I'm sensing that she hasn't been giving much in return since you went back to whacko fairytale world, and my arrival and the breaking of the curse has only made things…"

"Goddamn it, woman, let me go!" Regina and Ruby appeared in the middle of the kitchen. The witch held her ear like a petulant child, but as much as Ruby screeched and hollered, she refrained from lashing out physically, knowing Regina's still delicate progression of recovery.

She released Ruby's ears with a glare. "There. You're released. Now sit down before Emma knocks you down." Ruby huffed but obeyed without protest.

Regina moved to Emma's side and kissed her cheek. "Hello Darling. I apologize for eavesdropping by accident and had hoped for more time to prepare myself for this discussion." She narrowed her eyes at Ruby. "However, since some of us are struggling with adult behavior at the moment, I saw fit to take immediate action. Who would like to begin?"

Belle simply stared at Regina with a gaping mouth and then jerked to life. "Begin what?" She asked somewhat stupidly for one so bright. Must be the pain medication for her headache slowing her down.

Regina ignored her question. Everyone in the room knew exactly what happened next. "I'll begin, shall I? Ruby Lucas, I love you. From the bottom of my heart, I adore you to the moon and back. You're a fantastic friend, and you've been an amazing pillar of support and strength in Emma's absence. We share something special, Wolf Pup. No one with eyes will deny that. You are my best friend, the sister I never had, but you will never be my lover. Apparently, Emma and Belle cannot behave like rational adults long enough to figure that out." Ruby threw her arms in the air and let them drop to her lap and looked towards the darkened window.

That's the reason Regina dragged her back here because Belle and Emma flew off on their tangent about their relationship. Well, Regina had warned her at Granny's that shit was going down in a big way.

She shook her head in frustration, and the room stilled. "You people… I fucking hate magic wielders. You know why? Someone is always after them. So much fucking drama and blah blah blah. The world fucking revolves around me because I can use magic!"

She jumped up and paced the room a few times. The other three women watched. She stopped suddenly and turned to Belle and dropped to one knee. "I'm not leaving you, you idiot."

She pulled out a black velvet ring box and snapped it open. "You said you wanted another engagement proposal, something more romantic. You absolutely refused to even think of planning the wedding until Emma regained her memories. Yes, I have this silly fucked up connection with Regina and yes that makes me nuts sometimes and over protective and crazy and like I'm having an affair or don't want to be with you." She took a breath and readjusted her shoulders beneath her cape.

"I'm an idiot, Belle. I didn't treat you right when we went back to The Enchanted Forest, and I'm sorry. I didn't realize that until we got back here, and I started talking to Archie again. It's you that I dance with every night. It's you that I sing to everyday. I fucking learned how to play an acoustic guitar so I can play country songs for you. Archie is hooking me up with a fiddle, too. I got a banjo last week. It's pretty easy now that I've learned the guitar." Belle covered her mouth, tears dripping freely onto her hand.

"I went nuts when Emma came back because I knew it was only a matter of time until I had to do this. When she was gone, I didn't have to worry about it because you wanted to wait, and I did, too. I want her there. I do." Her gaze dropped to her shaking hands holding the ring Belle had mentioned a few times in passing. It'd taken her a while, but Marco finally helped her design it and taught her the rather difficult art of metal crafting.

"I made this, Belle. You know how Archie has been encouraging me to explore the artistic advantages my wolf senses give me? Well, I learned how to work metal with Marco after we had our necklaces made. I made this. For you, Belle. See the tiny books and flames on the sides of the band. I set it with a ruby instead of a diamond because… well, that's my name. It's set in a wolf's eye. See?" Tears dripped onto her cheeks, and she snapped the box shut and stood. The tender moment passed as Ruby's emotional walls slammed into place. She was genuinely hurt.

"You know life with you hasn't been easy, Belle. Especially since you've started using magic again. You get in these moods and absolutely nothing will console you. It wasn't exactly a walk in the park to find out that the timid, sweet librarian I gave my heart to was actually responsible for the Rockslide Massacre of Breck. Children died there, Belle! And not just one or two but dozens if not hundreds.

Hundreds of innocent people died! Snow sent me there to pull bodies out of the rubble because I was the only one strong enough to move the rocks without magic. Do you think it's easy for me to forgive you for that when I still have nightmares of children Alex's age with their faces smashed in from the weight that fell on top of them? I have to live with that, and you're the one who did it."

"What?" Emma and Regina said in unison, blue and green eyes open wide with shock. Belle glared up at her angry lover. She'd confessed that in a moment of drunken weakness in The Enchanted Forest and then spent a week begging Ruby to touch her again. Under the new curse, they had forgotten until Emma restored their memories. No wonder Ruby pulled away so suddenly.

Their shocked question went unnoticed. Belle held out her hand. "Ruby. You never said you were there. I'm sorry. I…"

"Forget it. Fuck you all. I was scared to ask you because I thought you'd say no after the way Regina and I behaved in our world. But damn it, Belle, you dropped a huge fucking bombshell on me. That's why I've been so crazy these past few weeks, and that's why I pulled away in The Enchanted Forest. I was trying to figure out how to deal with your past, and Regina was there. She was fucking there and reformed and happy and pregnant, and I just…" She wiped her face angrily and blatantly refused her lover's hand. She crossed her arms over her chest. Ruby Lucas sucked at emotional conversations. She never spoke this much, preferring to express through music or food or making love to Belle for hours. She was a doer, not a talker.

"Emma, you weren't there. I stepped up. I took care of Regina. I can't just shut that shit off now that you're miraculously back. The Enchanted Forest is far more dangerous than here. It wasn't safe for her to walk outside the castle, much less travel or perform her duties alone.

"So, yeah, I'm going to step on your toes until I'm not on constant fucking alert for any sign of danger, but your jealousy is your own fucking problem." She shoved the ring into her pocket, and Belle cried softly. How had they gotten things so turned around in their heads? She and Emma believed what they wanted to believe because they feared it to be true, she realized.

Ruby laughed a hollow, tortured sound. "So, yeah, fuck all of you. I'm going back to Granny's so I can finish asking her opinion on how and where and when I should ask you and if it's selfish to do it while Zelena is terrorizing my family. Or in light of this brand new assault to my character by the people who are supposed to love me most, I'm going to go shamelessly cry on my Granny's shoulder. I'd appreciate no further assaults on my ears or magical bullshit for the rest of the night because, frankly, I need a fucking break from being the protector for a little while. I'm the fucking strongest person physically in Storybrooke, and I get knocked on my ass every time by magic. It's terrifying because it's going to kill me one day. Why the fuck do you think I left in the first place? I'm fucking tired, and I just want to sleep at my Granny's and pretend that I'm still that stupid, naïve little girl who used to play with bugs and spiders." Tension rolled off Ruby's body, revealing the emotional turmoil that she hadn't yet with her words. How the hell had they become so fucked up? Magic. Magic fucked everything up.

"Can you handle that?" Ruby prodded when no one answered her immediately. Emma only stared. Regina nodded and rounded the counter. Ruby hugged her.

"Thanks Mama Bear, I feel better. Thanks for making me do this." Ruby whispered into her hair.

Regina pulled back and slapped her shoulder. "I just wish you'd pointed out our behavior sooner. I had no clue what it looked like until Emma went off this morning."

Ruby laughed and wiped her tears. "With you bursting into tears every hour on the hour? That was not a conversation I wanted to have until you popped." Regina glared. Ruby rolled her eyes. "Please take me to Granny's. I haven't spent nearly enough time with her lately."

Regina nodded and took her hand. They disappeared in a puff of violet smoke. Belle and Emma stared where their partners once were.

What the frilly fuck just happened?

Regina reappeared a moment later and faltered. Belle jumped forward and steadied her shoulders. "How long have you known she was planning to propose again?"

Regina accepted the firm hands on her shoulders and allowed Belle to guide her to a stool. "I've known since the day Emma returned to Boston after showing up unannounced, but I had no clue she made the ring herself."

Regina ran frustrated fingers through her hair. "Emma, I'd like to hold my daughter and watched The Golden Girls. I know it's not late enough, but I own the entire series on DVD. Miss French, you are welcome to join us if your headache has relented. If not, allow me to be overprotective for a moment and forbid you from bothering Ruby this night. I understand you feel terrible right now, but she was quite clear. She wants Granny. She needs a break. Leave her alone. She'll come home when she's ready." Regina waited for the words to sink in and then returned to the living room, Emma trailing behind with a sheepish expression and Annabel.

Blissfully, she ignored the fact that her very own housemate was responsible for a violent, gut-wrenching massacre that not even The Evil Queen managed during her reign of terror. She'd never killed children. The words unspoken cut more deeply than Regina's casual dismissal of her feelings.

Belle nodded, though she stood alone in the kitchen. Regina was right, she felt more horrible now than when she believed Ruby had left her. Ruby was fighting for her like Emma fought for Regina. She'd just been too blind to see it because the opponent Ruby faced was the most difficult of all – herself, her memories.

Perhaps True Love wasn't only for the few. Perhaps even a flawed librarian and a tortured wolf felt the touch of an everlasting love. They simply failed to see it beyond their own shortcomings and insecurities. A gust of cold air pulled her from her thoughts, and she whirled towards the outside door on the far side of the kitchen.

"Touching. Positively touching." Zelena's posh, accented voice snapped a band of tension around her heart. "The heart of pure dark warrior struggling valiantly to forgive the heart of her reformed black witch. Oh," she clasped her hands over her chest melodramatically, "that touches in all right spots, doesn't it?"

While Regina held Emma's heart, it remained safe from Zelena's grasp. Regina's heart within Emma's chest nestled in a glow of pure magic, making it essentially useless for the purpose of the spell. She intended to take hers as substitute because they'd given her the information needed to confirm her suspicions. "Emma!" Belle yelled and pulled at the earth's energy. She was weak, not that she'd have been a challenge for Zelena at full strength. Zelena smiled wickedly, and Belle licked her lips, praying she stepped inside the house.

Footsteps tapping quickly across the foyer gave her a moment of hope. It quickly dissipated when a flaming hand appeared in her chest as Zelena suddenly stood before her. The wicked witch screamed as flames engulf her body. Belle coughed and jerked back bodily from the scorching heat of the human fireball. Her heart pulled free of her chest as she fell.

"No!" Emma yelled and flung her own fire into Zelena who already writhed and squirmed in pain. Zelena fell into the island and collapsed to the floor. Amelia was right. Human fireballs were hella scary.

"Three down," she gritted through the pain of melting flesh. Rumpelstiltskin would heal her. Unable to withstand the flames any longer without risking her life, Zelena disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

Emma dropped to her knees beside Belle. "Annabel?" The shaken woman asked.

Emma touched her shoulders and searched her eyes. She was shocked, but she was fine. "I can't tell you where they went. Zelena has your heart. The heart of a reformed black witch." Emma released her and buried her finger into tangled yellow hair in disbelief. "Goddamn it. We gave her exactly what she needed because we let our idiotic emotions get in the way. She must be watching the house. I need to call Amelia."

Belle grabbed her arm, and Emma pulled a flame to her hand. Belle released her and held up her hands in surrender. "Emma, Regina protected my heart like hers. It cannot be used against me. Is Annabel okay?"

Emma stared at her skeptically and pulled her phone from her pocket. She dialed Regina and waited, never breaking eye contact or extinguishing her flame. "Hey Babe, we're okay. Zelena's gone. I'm going to call Amelia and have her come over and make some more of that potion. Yeah, wait about an hour for us to air out the house. It smells like burnt bitch in here."

Belle huffed and waved her hands, telling Emma to hurry the hell up. "Hey, did you protect Belle's heart? You did? So Zelena can't listen in or anything like that?" Emma slumped in relief and closed her fist around the flame she held on her friend.

She extended the hand to Belle who took it and allowed Emma's stout back and arms to pull her to her feet. She ignored the rest of the conversation and opened the windows in the kitchen, turned on the vent fan above the stove and then disappeared to close the door to her library.

Emma ended the call to Amelia as she returned. "Amelia is on her way. I doubt Zelena will be back anytime soon. Regina is coming home in an hour."

Belle coughed and covered her mouth. Emma wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I don't think we can febreeze this."

Belle laughed because it was the better alternative to crying.


	28. Escalation

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: All I Have by Jennifer Lopez and LL Cool J, Touch My Body by Mariah Carey, Stormy by Hedley

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><p>With a heavy sigh, Ruby opened the front door to the mansion. Had she not made such an ass of herself before Zelena's attack, she might have returned last night. Faint music played in the kitchen, but it wasn't the soft twang of Belle's preferred tunes, so she checked the living room first. Emma was wedged into the corner of a sofa and blinked up at her with bleary, red eyes of exhaustion. Regina lay between her legs, head lulled between Emma's breasts. Annabel sucked on her fist atop Regina's chest. Emma's hands wrapped around the infant's belly, keeping her in place.<p>

Ruby sat on the coffee table and ignored the tingle of her wolf connecting with Regina's dark heart. It wasn't Regina reaching out for her anymore. Emma simply lacked control. "You okay?" She asked instead of addressing her minor meltdown the previous night.

Emma readjusted her grip on Annabel. "Besides not having slept? Yes. Good thing we napped so much yesterday." Emma tried to smirk and pull levity into the crackling tension around them, but it fell flat and flopped on the floor as it gasped its dying breath. Ruby sighed.

"Want me to take Annabel for a bit? You look ready to keel over." Her tone told Emma that she braced for rejection.

Emma actually managed a tiny smile. "Please, my arms are killing me. I think there are enough of us here and awake to keep her safe." Ruby smiled brightly for the first time in days as she took the tiny girl into her arms.

She hummed and pressed her lips to Annabel's soft black hair. Emma shook out her hands, returned one to Regina chest and dangled the other over the side of the couch. Ruby glanced up with shining eyes. "They make it all worth it, don't they? Children." She stared down at Annabel as she spoke, and Emma almost felt like she invaded a private moment.

"They do. Speaking of, where are Alex and Henry?" Emma rubbed her eyes beneath her glasses.

Ruby offered Annabel a finger to squeeze and then jerked back at the spontaneous mewing from her tiny lungs. "They're at Granny's. Snow and David are there, too. They're going to stay until I come back. This is the hungry cry, right?" Ruby checked.

Regina sprang to life, "Annabel!" Emma wrapped her in strong arms and hushed her fears.

"She's hungry, Baby. She's okay. Ruby has her. Look to your right." Regina followed the gentle instructions and smiled at her friend before relaxing into Emma's chest with a wince. As the adrenaline faded, the soreness of their love session the previous afternoon and the abrupt movement settled into a burning ache in her stomach.

Laughter exploded from the kitchen, and Ruby squinted towards the foyer. "Who's in the kitchen?" She tilted her head, but her cloak tamed her wolf senses.

"Belle and Amelia. They've been at it all night. I can't wait to see what potions they came up with." Emma answered. Annabel mewed again, protesting the lack of attention.

Regina reached for the girl. "Will you bring me a bottle, Ruby? And a Vicodin," she added as an afterthought. Emma tensed beneath her for exactly one second and then relaxed. Pills hadn't been her vice of choice, but any drug mentioned these days made her edgy.

Ruby nodded and stood as she placed the infant in her mother's arms. "Belle told me where she hid them. I'll be right back." She took two steps towards the door and turned around. "Granny says sorry again, by the way, and to tell you that next time you magic flash to her living room with a screaming infant because your house is under attack you should announce yourself to avoid crossbow bolts aimed at your head."

Emma chuckled against her back, and Regina smiled fondly. She loved that old battle axe. "I've learned my lesson," Regina admitted and offered her daughter the tip of her finger to suck until Ruby returned with the bottle. It calmed the girl for the moment at least.

Emma jerked at the sudden reappearance. Ruby paused momentarily, ensuring no fireballs were flung at her head, and then continued juggling two cups of coffee, a bottle and a pill. The joyous but pained expression in her eyes told the couple that what she'd seen in the kitchen inspired both pain and pleasure.

She laughed as she handed over the bottle and pill. "Amelia is trying to teach Belle how to twerk." She snorted. "Guess she can't be good at every dance style."

Regina wrinkled her nose. "What on earth is twerking?" Emma and Ruby giggled.

Ruby sobered first and cleared her throat. "I'll have Amelia explain it to you when I send her in here," Ruby answered and then disappeared into the foyer. She had avoided Belle long enough.

Sad brown eyes watched the two women for a few silent minutes as they gave into the silliness that lack of sleep brought. Belle seemed so much lighter without her heart. She grabbed Amelia's shoulders as she lost her balance for the hundredth time and laughed with an abandon Ruby never saw before. That's why Belle stayed calm enough to call upon the earth at any moment. If she felt nothing, her memories couldn't haunt her. Amelia noticed her presence first, and like a few minutes ago when she'd retrieved coffee for her friends, she tensed and waited for the backlash.

Ruby snorted and pushed off the door where she leaned. "Amelia, Regina has a question. Please go to the living room." Amelia nodded and slipped by her with wary eyes.

Belle clenched her jaw and moved to the Ipod deck, unwilling to meet Ruby's eyes. A larger hand covered hers as she touched the electronic minstrel, and Ruby's heat pressed into her back. Blue eyes slipped shut slowly, catching a brief glimpse of red furling around their feet.

Ruby touched the shell of her ear with her lips and whispered, "She started you out too fast." Ruby pulled the Ipod from beneath her fingers, and Belle shivered against her lover. God, she wanted so badly for this to happen, but the vicious, perpetual cycle between her and the wolf was evident. They destroyed each other a little more each time. Perhaps ending it now before they and Alex were further damaged was the best path.

And yet, "Teach me," came the breathy response.

Ruby released a heavy breath into her ear, relieved, and splayed her hand over Belle's flat belly, careful not to touch her too intimately yet. "You need to start on slower beats, some good contemporary R&B. Rhythm and Blues," she added before Belle asked for the meaning of the acronym. The music indeed changed to a slower and more soulful beat.

She pressed against her stomach, and Belle allowed herself to be pulled to the center of the kitchen. Ruby bent her knees slightly and fit the curve of her ass into her crotch hesitantly. "You have to train your hip and stomach muscles slowly, just like any other type of dancing."

Belle gasped lightly when Ruby moved her hips, rubbing against her before she followed with her own. "Ruby this song is about a break up from a relationship that isn't working anymore." Belle distracted herself with the nervous comment. Even without her heart, love and arousal swelled in her chest for the other woman. The wolf inspired the first deep emotion she'd felt since last night, and with the love came the pain.

Rather than a real response, Ruby repeated the lyrics into her ear, "Pride is what you had, baby girl, I'm what you have… Be easy don't make decisions when you're mad." Their hips moved in a slow figure eight, and Belle bit her lip in frustration as she gave into the moment.

Fingers slid between those on her stomach and the other hand gripped the back of Ruby's neck. The taller woman relaxed into the sensual embrace now that Belle gave her permission. Long fingers slithered over a voluptuous hip, thumb hooking into the waist of tight jeans and fingers splaying over button and zipper.

Belle shivered and bowed her head in frustration. "I can't say no to you when you touch me."

"Do you want me to stop?" Ruby asked sincerely.

Belle shook her head as she turned in her arms and locked her fingers behind her neck. "How do you dance like this while facing your partner?" She asked in her ignorant, innocent way that made Ruby fall for her in the first place. She was so curious and so very inexperienced in this world still after nearly two years.

Ruby bit her lower lip and sighed gently, eyes slipping shut. If the minimal contact damaged Belle's rightful anger and defenses with arousal, grinding crotches obliterated them completely. With a steadying breath, Ruby slipped a thigh between her legs and bent her own as she pulled their hips together. Belle inhaled sharply through her nose and dropped her head to Ruby's shoulder.

To her credit, the wolf held perfectly still. She may have initiated the contact, but this remained Belle's game she played with herself. The song changed to something slightly faster, but that same slow beat and bass thrummed beneath the feathery lyrics and sensual voice. Belle rolled her hips, understanding what was supposed to happen without being told. Why the fuck had she put Mariah Carey on Belle's Ipod? Yes, she knew Belle wanted her to touch her body without being told over and over.

Her stomach clenched as her hips responded involuntarily. "Belle," she hissed. Hot, wet lips pressed against her throat, inspiring a low growl and a bubble of pressure between her legs. Strong hands pulled at the wider hips of the shorter woman, grinding them together.

Belle braced her arms on solid shoulders and lifted her body easily onto her lover, hooking her ankles behind them. Ruby leaned back slightly and held the hips rocking sensually to the bass of the song. Belle released her neck, trusting Ruby to hold her, and pulled her shirt over her head. Trembling fingers buried in brown and red hair, guiding the wolf's head to her bare chest.

"No," Ruby whispered, lips brushing against sensitive flesh of the scar between Belle's breasts.

Belle froze except leaning back slightly and glared down at her lover. "What?"

Ruby pushed at her legs, forcing her to the floor, and snagged up her shirt. Shaking fingers turned it right side out and then extended it to the dumbfounded librarian with shimmering blue eyes. "I said no, Belle. We need to talk. This is why we are where we are right now. I fuck up, and you're big beautiful forgiving heart lets me back in without hesitation. We make love, and the problems get swept under the rug but not resolved." Belle wiped at her eyes. The rejection hurt, but Ruby's assessment of how they dealt with their issues was correct.

"Belle, I had an affair," Ruby blurted, averting her gaze to her navel. Belle's followed suit, stomach knotting as the words finally fell from Ruby's lips.

"We never had sex, but we might as well have because everything else was there. It's fucked up because neither of us actually realized it while it was happening." Ruby crossed one arm over her stomach and held the other elbow, already uncomfortable.

With a deep breath, she continue, "Archie called me out on it the first week we returned to Storybrooke, the day I brought my guitar home. You remember that day?"

Belle nodded and smiled into the memory as she swiped at her tears. "I told you that you were insane and that it'd take you forever to teach yourself. By the end of the week, you were playing as though you'd been born with that thing in your hands." She laughed sadly and met Ruby's eyes.

"I…" she pulled a folded piece of paper from her back pocket and handed it to Belle. "That's why I've been spending so much time at Town Hall with Regina. She's been going through all of Gold's property deeds." Ruby explained without actually explaining anything.

Belle studied the paper, quickly digesting the page of words. "This is the property deed to the house across the street." Belle looked up at her with confused eyes and held the limp paper between them.

"The council agreed a few months ago to repossess all of Gold's property, sell it cheap, and use the proceeds to finish repairing the damages from the war and to assist those families who lost loved ones. I've been holding onto this one because I wanted to show it to you first before it went public." Ruby worried her lower lip and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting anxiously for some sort of response beyond a blank stare.

Belle licked her lips and looked at the deed without actually reading it again. "You want us to buy a house?" She tossed the paper to the counter as if it burned her. "After all those horrible things you said last night, you want to buy a fucking house?"

Ruby found her navel and swallowed the burn of tears. "I never should have mentioned Breck."

"Yes, you should have," Belle countered coldly. "Months ago, to me, in private. You're allowed to be angry about the things you saw and at me for doing them. I did that. I killed those people because I lost control. We can only deal with it if you talk to me, but you just keep everything bottled up until it explodes like it did last night." Belle waved her hands in frustration as she spoke and finally settled for retreating to the stove. She slammed the kettle on the burner and braced her hands on the counter without lighting it.

Ruby moved to her side, close enough to touch but chose not to act on the urge. "Belle," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm trying. Sometimes…" she huffed and leaned her back against the counter, arms crossed tightly.

"Sometimes it's easier to talk to Regina about stuff because I'm not afraid she's going to leave me," Ruby mumbled. Encouraged by the softening of Belle's taut muscles, she continued, "I could probably handle losing her or not being as close with her. Hell, that's why we're having this conversation, right? If I lost you or Alex…" She sighed heavily, afraid to voice her theory of the direction she believed her life took without her anchors.

"You'd shrivel up and die even though you continued breathing?" Belle supplied the words Ruby failed to find. Ruby nodded and exhaled harshly through her nose.

Belle raised her head and studied her lover's face, seeing the honesty in those soulful brown eyes. "You know I'm powerless to leave you, right?" Ruby breathed harshly, head bowing as her eyes closed beneath the weight of that confession.

"Please don't leave me," she begged, unable to keep the tears from her voice. "I fucked up. I'm trying to fix it. Please." She raised shimmering brown eyes to blue, displaying all of her fear and grief and regret. "Please let me fix this, Belle. Come see Archie with me. He says that he can help me learn how to talk about things better, but the early stages are a lot of trial and error. He would be there to mediate when we got lost. Please."

Belle bowed her head and processed the new information as well as the new development in their relationship. "Under one condition." Ruby brightened, her eyes agreeing to anything. "Don't ask me to marry you again. If I ever want that with you again, I'll bring it up."

Ruby smiled. "I can do that." It wasn't perfect, but it was a step in the right direction. Forgiveness wasn't just a fantasy.

"Ruby?" Belle pressed off the stove and met her lover's eyes.

Ruby's arms fell from their protective embrace across her chest. "Yeah?"

"May I resume what I began earlier?"

"God yes." Ruby cupped the back of her neck as she pulled their lips together. Soft moans swirled across joined tongues. Belle's hands slid up Ruby's shirt and scraped her scarred back with vicious intent.

Ruby pushed her away far enough to grab her wrists gently and pulled them back together. "Not like that. I want to make love to you." Gentler lips reconnected with a more meaningful passion. She lifted Belle to her hips again and moved out of the kitchen.

They giggled when Ruby stumbled in the foyer and nearly fell over, saved only by her wolf reflexes. Regina raised her eyebrows from the sofa in the living room. Emma and Amelia shared a smirk.

"I guess their twerking lesson went well," Amelia tossed out with an amused voice. Regina clicked her tongue at the despicable form of dance that Amelia and Emma explained to her for the first five minutes until finally giving up and pulling up a video on Emma's phone.

Amelia shrugged at the obvious disapproval. "I think the four of you should just have a foursome and get it over with. You're all practically in a relationship anyway." Emma barely saved Regina from being sprayed with the coffee in her mouth with her hand and then coughed.

"Give me my daughter back," Regina demanded playfully. "You're getting your filth all over her." Amelia beamed. She'd missed Regina's sass the most.

The moment shattered as the sound of the doorbell snapped a band of tension around the three women. Emma moved first. Amelia repositioned Annabel in one arm and grabbed Regina's hand, ready to teleport away. Ruby's wolf hearing would alert her to any screaming or fighting even if it probably tuned out the quiet tone.

Emma lit a fireball and then peeped out the window beside the door. "What the hell?" She ripped open the door, revealing a very distraught Eva Zambrano in blue jeans, snow boots, and a light purple winter coat. Her dark purple scarf, hat and gloves were beautifully handmade with thick yarn. Tears glistened on her cheeks, and she wiped at them in embarrassment.

"Eva, get in here," Emma demanded and stood to the side, fighting the urge to grab the clearly aching woman into a hug.

She guided her to the living room where Amelia and Regina perked up instantly. "Eva?" Amelia blurted after she'd recovered. She'd never even seen the woman in street clothes, much less outside the hospital.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked immediately. Eva pulled her hat and gloves off and wiped her face as fresh tears dripped down.

"Zelena, took her heart," she blurted before bursting into tears. No further elaboration required, they all knew that the "she" Eva referred to that left her such an utter mess was Lauren Danes. Emma touched her shoulder instinctively. Eva screamed and pulled away, flinging herself back into the couch.

Emma jerked back. "Shit. I'm sorry, Eva. Amelia, I think we need some tea. Decaf. Chamomile. The calmest thing we have in the kitchen. And I need you to start another batch of that heart protection potion."

Amelia handed Annabel to Regina but stopped in the middle of the motion when Eva reached for the infant. With a glance to both mothers for permission, she deposited the infant into the surgeon's waiting hands. Eva relaxed instantly and leaned back with the baby nestled into her chest.

"Children don't hurt until their cognitive development reaches the point of understanding free will and intention, usually around age four or five sometimes later. I've spent much time in the hospital nursery since returning until…" Tears stole her words, and she pressed her lips to Annabel's head. Amelia disappeared to the kitchen after the explanation.

Regina took Emma's hand and a steadying breath. "What does Zelena need with Lauren's heart?"

Eva wiped her tears again, much calmer now that she had a warm body in her arms for comfort. "Lauren is a succubus. A pusher. She can push her feelings and emotions onto others. I'm sure you've noticed our new physical relationship while at the hospital. Lauren's powerful. She has the ability to drown out even the strongest readings I have from others. If she wanted, all of Storybrooke would be under her thrall." Her voice held pride and affection, and the other two women smiled despite the situation. Eva took a deep breath.

"I was on-call last night, but I made her stay home since she'd practically lived there when the two of you terrorized my hospital once again. I came home, crawled into bed, kissed her. She felt wrong. I'm still a soul seer, and no matter how much she pushes on me, I can still tap into her mind. She intends to control the two of you through Lauren since she cannot obtain your hearts. I barely made it out of the house without raising suspicion with the excuse of getting us breakfast at Granny's.

"I thought it strange that so many personnel called off last night and this morning. Now I know. Zelena is building a group of followers, namely those of us who have the ability to save the lives of someone gravely injured. Arizona and Addi are MIA, half the nursing staff called in this morning. I'm relieved to see Amelia here and safe. Some of them were warriors, but most of them are lambs to the slaughter. Distraction during your pending battle, I'm sure."

Regina leaned forward and clutched Emma's hand tighter. "Emma."

"Yeah, David, Snow, Archie, Stacy, Granny, Henry, Alex. Eva, get comfortable because you aren't going anywhere," Emma ordered.

The doctor sat up quickly and protested, "I have patients, Emma. I cannot simply allow their care to suffer. Your fiancée is one of them."

"Fine, then someone who can magic flash will escort you, but Eva, if someone is seriously injured, Lauren included, you may be the last person left who can save her life." Emma disappeared, leaving the doctor with that unsettling thought.

That night, Emma decided, she and Amelia finally put that glove to good use and tracked down the evil bitch. Zelena's timeline just escalated.


	29. Mine

Thank you for the wonderful reviews! Dun Dun DUUUUUNNNNN!

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Rescue Me by Kerrie Roberts, Bad Reputation by Joan Jett

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><p>"Again," Emma demanded.<p>

Blood dripped from the fingertips of her left hand and spotted the floor of Belle's library in the overstuffed mansion. Regina gave them an hour of working time before she released the sound proof barrier, which meant Amelia had 20 minutes remaining to push Emma into the darkest spaces of her mind. Even without Ruby, the raging savior found enough fodder to blow a small hole in the world.

"You're in far enough, Emma. We should stop." Amelia protested with a hefty amount of respect for the risk in refusing anything to Emma in this state.

When Emma grabbed her throat with bloody fingers, her fears were confirmed. Emma had released the last shreds of her humanity or at least teetered on the edge of doing so. "I said again," Emma seethed. Amelia nodded and prayed that their all-powerful, prophetic love saved their savior.

When Emma released her, she flicked the whip across her face. "Why are you doing this?"

"I want that bitch's blood on my hands," Emma raged. The wash of unadulterated power emanating from her reminded Amelia of her later years with The Evil Queen. She'd been so angry, so vengeful, sinking deeper with each loss and abuse and defeat.

Amelia went for the kill, "Who do you love?" Emma's violet eyes flickered.

"Annabel and Henry and Regina," Emma answered honestly. Amelia paced a circle around her, releasing the whip as she saw fit. Emma was covered in welts and gashes already. How was she still standing?

She kicked the back of Emma's knee, using the sudden momentum to bring her to the floor completely. She held a shoe on her ribs, telling Emma without words to remain on the floor. "Who do you love?"

"Annabel, Henry, and Regina," Emma answered. The force of Amelia's kicked to her ribs raised her slightly from the floor, and she toppled to her side and gasped for air.

Amelia stood over her, feet on either side of Emma's hips. "You love the woman who forced you to grow up an orphan? Every single pain you've suffered in your life started with her hands." She lashed the whip over the ribs Emma wasn't holding. Violet glowed in the eyes glaring up at her.

"She took your son from you." Crack, slice. "She took your parents." The whipped snapped across her cheek, and anger flared in her chest. Amelia was right. Regina took everything from her.

"Do you love Regina or does she simply belong to you?" Amelia asked again, sensing the end of their session.

Emma sneered and spit blood. "She belongs to me, which is why Zelena has to die. No one is taking anything else of mine." Amelia's stomach knotted, and she swallowed the metallic taste of bile in the back of her throat.

"Who do you love?" She asked darkly, her tone quiet and dominating.

After a moment of careful consideration, Emma answered, "My children." Amelia lashed into her relentlessly, losing herself in the moment.

Emma cried out in frustration after the fifth strike and challenged her by grabbing the whip. Amelia dropped to her knees immediately, straddling Emma's stomach, and slid the thin, laser sharp blade across the swell of Emma's right breast and chest. Emma stilled when the blade pressed into her neck.

"The same children who would run in fear if they knew who you really were? They don't love you, Emma, no one loves you. They don't even know you. You're not capable of love. You're a monster. They belong to you, that's why you protect them. They are rightfully yours, but you aren't capable of love."

Amelia grabbed her by the throat and jerked her into a sitting position. Lips inches apart, she spoke again. "Say it, Emma. You know it's true. Say it."

Emma searched her heart, felt the last of the light shrivel into the black hole of rage Amelia helped her create. "I'm not capable of love."

"What do you live for?" Amelia asked.

Emma sneered, grabbed a fist of Amelia's sweaty hair and pressed their lips together. Amelia allowed it for the moment. It was a show of dominance, not passion. Emma needed to embrace this place.

"Vengeance," Emma breathed as she broke the kiss.

Amelia smiled. Finally. "Vengeance is all you have. Anger is all you need. Say it!"

Emma returned the violent smile of insanity. "Vengeance is all I have. Anger is all I need. Let's go fry the bitch."

Amelia nodded and pulled Emma with her as she stood. Regina chose that moment to enter with the glove, tracking potion, and Amelia's bag of self-defense tricks. The amount of damage to Emma's body and the smears of blood on the floors and walls brought her to an abrupt halt. She swallowed at the maniacal rage where Emma's soulful and expressive green eyes once lived. It broke her heart.

Emma strode to her possession, slapped the door shut and pressed Regina into it. The mayor winced against the pain the violent actions caused throughout her healing body. Perhaps she'd trained Amelia far too well all those years ago.

Emma touched her lips with bloody fingers, smearing the sticky substance onto both and stopping at the tip of her chin. Regina gasped when a hot mouth wrapped around her chin, sucking the blood clean before claiming her lips in a dominating kiss. "Mine," Emma breathed as she pulled back and then captured her mouth again.

As quickly as it'd come, Emma's touch disappeared along with the supplies in Regina's hands. Emma snapped her fingers without thought, clothing both she and Amelia in attire fit for travel in the freezing temperatures and battle. Without another word, she and the potions mistress disappeared. Regina slumped against the door too shocked to move. Amelia had taken her too far under, there wasn't a hint of Emma left.

"Just believe," Regina reminded herself and touched her chest.

With that comforting thought, Regina returned to the living room where her extended family had gathered in anticipation of the pending barrier spell. Regina took a head count in her mind. "Where are Eva and Annabel?" The surgeon hadn't relinquished her hold on the infant since her hysterical arrival at the mansion. The babe soothed her, so no one dared take her away from the grieving soul seer.

Everyone looked around at each other, only now aware of the missing presence of the reserved woman who had interacted with no one but a 10-day-old for the entire duration of their forced cohabitation. A slice of terror shivered up Regina's spine.

"Where the hell is my daughter? I was gone for two minutes!" The obvious fear and anger in her voice inspired a flurry of movement as the group spread throughout the house in search of the doctor and child.

Time, however, slowed for Regina. Her breaths sounded far too loud in her ears. Eva hadn't escaped Lauren's thrall, she knew it the moment she realized them absent. Two hands steadied her shoulders when she faltered, nearly falling over from the sudden lack of oxygen in her brain.

"Mom?" Henry's rasping preteen voice brought reality crashing into her. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a hug, ignoring the pain the contact caused. Terror gripped her heart. He held her back lightly and propped her up to the best of his abilities. He was just as scared as she was.

Ruby and Belle appeared on either side of the paralyzed woman and helped her to a sofa before she fell over. Henry claimed the spot beside her and took her hand. Regina's chest heave as though the weight of the world suddenly pressed against it. She glanced up into Ruby's pained eyes, silent understanding settling between them as Ruby removed her cape.

"I'll find them. I should be able to track Eva's scent. She couldn't have gotten far. Put up that damn barrier spell. I'll call you when I need back through because I'm really not interested in killing innocent people under Lauren's control right now." Regina nodded. Ruby touched her shoulder and then pulled Belle against her for a meaningful kiss that told the now powerless witch that she intended to return.

David appeared suddenly, sword at the ready. "I'm coming with you." Ruby nodded and then disappeared into the foyer with the prince at her side.

Belle slumped into the sofa beside Henry and the gentle _womp_ of changing air pressure indicated their departure. "I'm sorry that I'm useless, Regina. I didn't know that losing my heart also took my ability to connect with the earth. I can pull on my own life force if I need to, but it will only purchase a few smaller spells before it drains me so I'll use them sparingly."

Regina pulled Henry against her as she spoke, "It's alright, Belle. Ruby will find them. She's right, Eva couldn't have gone far. I wish this idiotic organ in my chest came with a manual. What point is an all-powerful magical heart if it's untouchable?" Regina huffed, but without her normal raging heart, the gesture only belied her absolute terror. Belle suspected shock kept her from a total meltdown.

Emma and Amelia appeared in the middle of town. Freezing air nipped at their exposed skin, and they ignored it. If Emma were honest, she preferred embarking this mission alone, but Amelia understood the bag of clinking vials in her hand where she only saw colored liquids. She retrieved one and dumped it over Zelena's glove. The vial shattered when she dropped it to the ground, relieving herself of the small weight of the now useless container.

"Get ready, Savior. Remember your objectives?" Amelia asked. The last thing Emma wanted her conscience when she recovered from the rage pulsing in her heart was the memory of killing innocent people because she lost control.

Emma grinned when the glove sparked and then took off down the street. "Kill the bitch. Save the child. Protect the innocent." She ran after the glove without awaiting her response, and Amelia followed, relieved that Regina taught her how to subtly instill certain morals and goals while stripping a person to their primal core.

Their journey passed in silence save the puffs of labored breathing as they jogged behind the floating glove. Emma either endured the cold much better than her, or her mind focused so intensely on her task that it completely blocked out the burning sting of the frigid Maine air. Emma held out her arm, catching Amelia in the chest when they broke through the dark forest and into a clearing. A huge barn sat in the middle of an abandoned field, and the glove floated towards it and then fell to the ground at the door.

"Go time," Emma rumbled, almost excited for the opportunity to unleash her fury upon a deserving target. She poofed, and they materialized beside the barn.

Emma glanced up at a small ledge near the roof and grinned. Every barn had a small window for square bales. She flashed again, almost slipping as she landed on the icy dock barely big enough for both women. Amelia gasped and grabbed her shoulders. Heights freaked her out, but Emma barely cared about her family right now. Any comment or complaint only distracted her. The raging savior cracked the small window and peeked inside.

The barn was lit with a few floating fireballs, but beyond that, she saw nothing on the loft. With a steadying breath, she slipped inside silently and then offered a hand to Amelia. Silent understanding passed between them when Zelena's infuriatingly smooth voice floated to them from below. Emma crouched and edged towards the rail of the hay loft while Amelia set up shop.

"Honestly, Darling, what on earth made you chose my little sister? She never deserved the title of queen." Little sister?

"I don't create monsters I can't control," Rumpelstiltskin's strained voice answered.

Emma nearly jerked in surprise. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. She peeked over the edge to the wide open space below. The Dark One used a hoe to dig some sort of magical ruin into the dirt floor. Zelena paced impatiently. A group of mindless drones stood in militarized lines, silently awaiting orders. Lauren watched Zelena pace with hateful eyes. They jerked suddenly to Emma's, paralyzing her. Of course Lauren felt their arrival, sensed the energy of their chis. They flicked to Zelena's waist and then back up. Emma followed them and noticed a pouch bouncing from Zelena's thigh with each step, Lauren's heart.

Emma nodded, and Lauren blinked rapidly. Amelia appeared at her side with several vials of light blue powder. Emma swirled her fingers, pulling the powder from the containers. They probably owed Belle and Regina a huge thank you and apology for destroying the kitchen with flour earlier when they practiced this particular skill. She froze, however, when the barn door opened below her.

"Oh how delightful!" Zelena clapped her hands together and giggled with absolute joy. It sent a tendril of irritated fear down Emma's spine.

"Oh Eva, Darling, I knew you were the one!" Zelena said and studied the two bodies being dragged to her feet by some of Lauren's thralls.

Emma boiled. They'd captured Ruby and David. She damn near screamed when Eva appeared and handed her tiny daughter to the crazed witch. Amelia nudged her leg.

"Do it now, Emma," she ordered, fear evident in her voice. Emma ate the rage, added it to her reserves and focused on the powder.

She faltered at Zelena's next words. "You may claim your prize soul seer. Your succubus awaits."

Lauren and Eva rushed together. The nurse grabbed both sides of her face and pulled them together for a heated kiss. "I'm so sorry, Eva. She made me do it. I'm sorry. Baby, I'm sorry." Lauren muttered through the tears and then then glanced at Ruby and David twitching and jerking on the ground. Blood dripped from their noses and ears, and Lauren inhaled sharply.

"What did you do to them?" Lauren asked in a dangerous tone. Zelena laughed. "What did you do to them!" She broke away from Eva and rushed at Zelena who grabbed the heart at her waist and squeezed. Lauren dropped to her knees and grabbed her chest.

"Silly succubus. Your lover doesn't simply feel the darkest fears and intuitions of sentient beings. Like you, one touch from a soul seer traps one inside his or her own mind in a fear scape of sorts. If not released by the same seer, they eventually die, mostly from heart attacks. They literally are scared to death." Zelena explained, clearly amused by the prospect of watching exactly that happen.

She touched Ruby's face and cooed, "Her sweet brave wolf. I only wish she lived long enough to watch you die such an excruciating death." She pushed Ruby's head to the side in disgust and stood.

A slice of green erupted on Zelena's face as she placed Annabel on the ruin along with Ruby's pendant, Rumpel and Belle's heart. "Time to kill mummy!" She said in a singsong tone.

Emma pushed the powder forward, focusing on the thralls. Zelena gasped as they dropped one by one. A streak of magic shot straight into the air from the center of the ruin. Emma flashed in front of Zelena and grabbed Annabel from the dirt while Amelia appeared in a crouch and cut the tie to Lauren's heart. She tossed it to the other woman still on her knees.

Emma shielded the infant and threw up a hand, blocking the burst of green energy. She gritted her teeth as Gold's magic joined the stream. They wanted what belonged to her. Rage boiled in her veins as she pulled flash after flash of painful life from her memory and used it as fodder for her magic.

Amelia pushed Lauren's heart into her chest and then cried out when a pulse of magic flung her across the room. "Emma!" Her back hit a beam, bending her in an unnatural U-shape. She thumped to the ground groaning.

Eva shook her head as her will suddenly became her own. Emma screamed in rage and pushed back the two constant beams of magic slamming into her. No one harmed what belonged to her, and Amelia and Eva and Lauren were hers as much as Ruby and David.

Eva loosed one of her own and jumped onto Rumpelstiltskin's back. "Go to sleep, you bastard," she hissed into his ear as he fell to his knees with her still attached. She released him and found her feet when he fell forward into the dirt. Her hand clasped Lauren's and pulled the still kneeling nurse to her feet and away from the line of fire.

Lauren jerked free and sprinted to Emma. "Trust me," she said when Emma refused to give up her hold on the child.

"Get the hell away from me. Check on Amelia. I got this bitch," she ordered in a voice much deeper and far too dangerous to belong to Emma Swan. Protect the child. Annabel squalled and protested the tense, magical energy around her.

Lauren backed away a few steps and retreated to Amelia's pained groans. She fell to her knees beside Eva and covered the seer's hands with her own, helping her stabilize Amelia's neck and spine. No one except maybe Ruby Lucas took a hit like that without sustaining spinal damage. Emma studied the scene and allowed the thought to send tendrils of rage into her heart. Amelia was hers. Zelena hurt Amelia. Zelena must die.

With renewed fury, she loosed a hollow wail of rage and pushed into the green magic meant to murder her and her daughter. As quickly as it came, however, the rage quivered. Emma faltered, knees buckling beneath her as a thousand quick cut flashes exploded behind her eyes. All of them revolved around Annabel, from the choosing of her name to her conception and birth. A pink swirl of magic encased the infant, starting at her heart and spreading outwards. The power struggle ceased, the magic evaporating instantly under the docile energy.

Neon pastel pink glowed in the infant's eyes as her crying ceased, leaving only a quivering lip and wet cheeks.

Emma and Zelena stared in awe at the brand new magic neither had ever seen before. A tinge of blue love magic joined the swirl, followed by the violet of rage. Without warning, it pulsed into Zelena's chest, knocking the witch backwards into wall. She slumped to the ground, and the sparkling magic of Annabel Swan disappeared as quickly as it had come. It hovered momentarily and then sank into Ruby and David before disappearing completely.

The pink hue disappeared from the babe's eyes as she blinked up at her mother. The same bright green of Emma's usual eye color returned, leaving only the trusting and helpless eyes of a baby who hadn't yet been taught to avert her gaze. Emma held her daughter's gaze, ignoring society's insistence that extended eye contact was uncomfortable. Babies weren't bound by society's rules, and neither was Emma Swan.

Emma heaved a breath. "Holy shit, Squidgelette."

Ruby groaned first, her wolf recovering much faster than David. She grabbed her head and winced against the pounding blood behind her eyes. Eva abandoned Lauren to stabilize Amelia and took tentative steps towards the tenacious and unpredictable blonde. Emma simply stared at the bundle of power in her arms. Mine, she thought, your power is mine.

Movement caught her gaze as bodies closed in upon her. Eva's hands reaching. Ruby's lips moving. They meant to steal her daughter away, use her for their own purposes. Protect Annabel, protect the ultimate power, a voice whispered in the back of her mind. Protect what is rightfully yours. Emma had earned this. She had created this hub of power with only the belief in her heart after all. She belonged to Emma. Regina hadn't believed. Regina was weak. Annabel belonged to her because she was responsible for her existence.

"You can't have her. She's mine," Emma threatened. The last thing she saw before teleporting were confused and horrified eyes of those who had attempted to steal her daughter's power.


	30. The Evil Savior

Dear Guests, the objective from Amelia came from the fact that Annabel was the last remaining ingredient needed in order to cast the spell, not from the belief that she was in any danger from Eva.

I do plan to continue the story for each season aired, but as this particular series follows the events of the show, I will wait until it has aired. S3 part B didn't really give me a lot to work with sadly so it's pretty much me trying to rectify all of the horrid and obvious dick they shoved in Emma and Regina's faces while attempting to make it look cool and have feels in the process.

I do, however, have several side chapters and alternate endings to write for the series to feed my RedQueen obsession and a few other requested sides.

Apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. My brother called upon my services to pull the motor from Granddaddy's van. If anyone has ever worked on a Pontiac, you understand how murderously frustrating and idiotic GM vehicles are. Make fun of my Toyotas all you want, but they make sense and don't attach the frakkin' oil pan to a motor mount and wedge it so tightly between the fly wheel and the transmission cover that you have to pull the freakin' motor to change it. WTF GM? Seriously? *rant over*

That said, tomorrow's will probably be late as well. I have a date with a potential sub at a square dance… say that with a straight face.

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Ice Queen by Within Temptation, All I Wanna Do by Halestorm, Keep on Tryin' by Poco

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><p>Within 30 minutes of Emma's abrupt disappearance, the barn flushed with movement and a slight chaos that left Ruby reeling into the frigid night for solace to deal with her jumbled thoughts and lingering adrenaline from the sheer horror Eva tossed her into. She sucked a deep breath into her lungs and ignored Eva calling yet another directive at the medics. Lauren left ten minutes ago in an ambulance with Amelia strapped to a backboard. Though Zelena remained unconscious, Blue came as quickly as possible with the enchanted shackles meant to contain magic. The weight of The Dark One's dagger pulling at her belt reminded her that even Rumpelstiltskin had finally been found and contained. Everything appeared to end in their favor.<p>

Everything except Emma.

Ruby swiped at the blood dried in her ears for the umpteenth time and clutched Belle's heart closer to her chest. Eva certainly packed a wallop when she aimed for destruction. A shiver pulled up her spine, and the wolf knew the cold remained innocent of the unsettling chill it left in her bones. With a glance over her shoulder to the hovering surgeon, she strode towards one of the ambulances transporting those still unconscious from whatever sleeping concoction Amelia cooked up in order to save them from the line of fire between Emma and Zelena. She was neither needed nor useful here.

"Hey," she said and waited for the paramedics to load another slumbering passenger before continuing. "Do you think you guys could drop me off at Mifflin Street since these folks aren't in any real danger?"

"Sure, climb into the passenger seat. I don't mind staying behind to help Dr. Zambrano keep things flowing here," said a woman with dark skin and eyes to match. Her blonde partner nodded. "Shay will be making a few more trips anyway."

Ruby nodded and offered the woman a tight-lipped smile. "Thanks."

The blonde driver narrowed her eyes but said nothing as they climbed into the front of the ambulance. They both welcomed the silence. Ruby only wanted to talk to three people right now. One was missing in action, apparently consumed by her magical mojo. The other soon would surely combust from the grief of the news she delivered. At least Belle still loved her, genuinely and breathtakingly loved her. Ruby smiled down at the pulsing heart in her hand and rubbed the outline of her wolf and sword pendant in the pocket of her jeans.

The ambulance stopped, and Ruby glanced up, not having noticed the journey between the secluded barn and her home. She nodded to the ambulance driver, Shay, "Thanks."

"Thanks for not making me entertain you with small talk," the broody blonde clipped. The corners of Ruby's mouth twitched, almost smiling at the clearly uncomfortable woman. Ruby nodded once and then left the woman to complete her duties.

She nearly slammed into the barrier spell, remembering at the last second and pulling out her phone. She dialed her best friend and huffed a white stream of air.

"Mama Bear, let me in," she said when Regina's curt greeting filled her ear. "It's over."

She ended the call, waited a couple minutes and then stalked up the walkway. Nothing zapped her like a bug, so she assumed the barrier fell within seconds. The front door opened as she touched the handle, and a bundle of nervous energy slammed into her chest. She inhaled deeply, nose pressed into Belle's hair, sighing into the scent of must and dust that always lingered around the bookworm.

Tears burned her throat, and she whined around them, "It's bad, Belle."

They shivered, and Ruby pulled back, swallowing her tears. Smaller fingers slid between her frozen digits, and she allowed them to remain against every preservation instinct screaming at her to pull away and shut down, show no weakness. Belle was her weakness.

They moved into the warm living room as one. Belle ignored the expectant stares searing into their flesh and positioned them in front of the fireplace. Ruby sighed into the heat and finally presented Belle's heart to her lover. Belle smiled, scar stretching tight with the joyous emotion, and guided the organ to her chest. The wolf hesitated, never having had her hand inside another's chest before. With a deep breath, she met trusting baby blues and added pressure until the organ sunk beneath the skin.

They gasped simultaneously, and Belle guided her, "A little further. Higher. There." Ruby released the organ and pulled back. Warm hands slid over her collarbones, and she pulled the shorter body into her with hungry hands and demanding lips. With bone crushing desperation, superhuman arms wrapped around the waist and upper back of the woman with the superhuman brain.

The embraced heated. A hot tongue tickled Ruby's lower lip, and a gentle moan vibrated the back of her throat when it slid over her own. The carefully constructed emotional walls crumbled under the mortar fire of Belle's love and compassion and forgiveness. Ruby tensed, readying for retreat. A thumb brushed her windpipe, and the wall collapsed. Belle caught her. She always did.

The harrumph Granny prepared caught in her throat when her strong, resilient granddaughter dropped her head to her lover's shoulder and cried softly. The uncomfortable display of affection the room full of fidgeting people witnessed wasn't sexual, it was inspired by pain and the need to cling to something real. She resettled against the couch with a sleeping Alex in her arms and waited.

Belle cupped red and brown hair with one hand and a thin neck with the other. "I've got you, Sweetheart," she whispered. Everyone remained still and listened to Ruby's soft gasps and sighs of anguish.

After a few minutes, she pulled back and demanded her daughter, "I want Alex." Belle smiled sadly and wiped the tears on Ruby's cheeks, savoring the moment until it ended completely.

Regina barely restrained her questions as she followed her friend with terrified brown eyes shimmering with tears of her own pain and also sympathy for whatever the wolf witnessed out in the cold. Archie and Stacy immediately relinquished their seats on the sofa beside Granny without speaking, and Ruby claimed the spot beside the elder Lucas immediately. As she settled the sleeping toddler in her arms, Belle tucked her legs beneath her and leaned sideways against the back of the couch, propped her head on a hand. Ruby leaned into her chest.

"Ruby, what happened? Where's David?" Snow broke the silence first. To her credit, the words were soft and undemanding despite her fear.

Ruby took a deep breath and answered, "He's okay. He's at the hospital getting checked out. Eva… did anyone know that soul seers could also use a person's fear and intentions to trap them inside their own minds in their own personal version of hell?" Ruby glanced around the room, ready to rip out someone's throat for withholding a valuable piece of information.

"Eva trapped you in a fear scape?" Belle blurted, practically answering the question for everyone. If she hadn't known, the rest of them probably hadn't either. Ruby nodded.

"So little is known about them. They're such reclusive people. That's quite remark…" Belle clamped her mouth shut as the realization that Ruby experienced it firsthand smacked into her gut like a bag of hammers. It most certainly fascinated her, but her curiosity took second place to Ruby. "I'm sorry. Knowledge excites me. Are you okay, Sweetheart?"

Ruby almost grinned at Belle being so unbelievably Belle. "I'm fine, physically. I think I'm going to have nightmares for the rest of my life. Eva totally took down Gold with this shit. She brought him out, but…" She readjusted Alex and pulled the dagger from her belt, "I control The Dark One now."

Alex whimpered in her arms, and Ruby handed Belle the dagger without a second thought as she rocked and soothed the scared toddler having a nightmare. "Wolf," Alex murmured.

Ruby smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Wolf's here, Baby. Go back to sleep. I won't let anything hurt you, ever, I promise." The wolf held her face against her daughter's hair and repeated the process of breaking down into tears again. What she'd seen while under Eva's power scared the hell out of her. She'd be lucky if she slept at all tonight. Plus Emma going all nuts and disappearing with Annabel.

Crap. She pulled her head up and met Regina's eyes. "Emma took her. I don't know where. She's safe. I was still unconscious at the time, but Eva and Lauren said that Annabel used magic. It was pink with blue and purple mixed in, like yours and Emma's magic." Ruby's explanation skittered all over the map.

"Annabel used magic?" Regina breathed the words, inaudible to all except those around her and Ruby's wolf ears.

"Yeah, apparently, she just…" she waved her hand around, "evaporated Zelena and Emma's magic like it was nothing, knocked Zelena out cold by flinging her into a wall, and then woke me and David from the – what did you call it?—fear scape." Ruby explained the version of events explained to her by Eva, Lauren and a very in pain Amelia. She had a long recovery ahead of her.

"Amelia's hurt really bad," Ruby continued. "Eva thinks Zelena broke her back when she flung her into a support pillar in the barn. She was moving her fingers and toes, but…" One thin shoulder lifted in a shrug as the statement hung in the air.

Regina wiped tears and pushed forward, "You said Emma took Annabel. Where? Why isn't she back yet?" Aaaand now to move from the hard stuff to the excruciating bits of her recounting of events.

"We don't know, Regina. I'm sorry. I woke up, and Emma was just standing there staring at Annabel with this, I don't know, look. Like she'd finally found her purpose in life. It was bizarre. She's looked at Annabel and Henry and you like that before, but not like this, it was… it was terrifying. She looked insane. And then she said 'You can't have her. She's mine.' and just poofed away." Ruby pushed through the words as quickly as possible.

Everyone studied Regina's blank face. No spontaneous eruption of tears made them jump to comfort the woman. No cry of grief or frustration scraped their eardrums. Regina blinked numbly, kissed Henry's head and then struggled to her feet in surreally controlled movements.

"Henry, it's time for bed," she informed her son who gawked at her, as shocked as everyone else.

He huffed, "But Mom, Mom is still out there. We should go look for her." His protests were halted with a stern hand held in front of Regina.

"Emma will come home when she's ready. Right now, we should all take comfort in the fact that everyone we love is safe and alive and the threat is neutralized. One could not ask for a more favorable outcome of this night's events." She pulled Henry to his feet as she spoke and wrapped him in a hug, which he returned without hesitation.

She smiled into his hair and pressed a kiss there. "Just believe, my little prince. Everything will right itself. Now, please do as I say or be subjected to the traumatizing sight of your mother pumping her breasts."

Henry jerked back, horrified. He sputtered at his mother, glanced around the room at the twinkling eyes laughing at him. With burning cheeks, he mumbled a goodnight, kissed the cheeks of all the confounding women in his life and scurried up the stairs.

Archie coughed, his own cheeks burning brightly with embarrassment. Regina Mills didn't know the meaning of the word "shy" when the subject came to her body. After 35 years of being dressed and bathed by others, her insecurities simply melted away, never to return. "On that note, I believe I also shall say goodnight." Stacy nodded and leaned into his shoulder.

"Thanks for bringing us here, Regina. Call if you need anything else," Stacy offered with a smile and then departed with the man of her dreams. Regina wrinkled her nose, unwilling to think of Archie and Stacy as a couple just yet. She'd never imagined either of them having sex, much less with each other.

Snow followed their example. "I'm going to go check on David and see if Eva and Lauren need me organizing volunteers to help out around the hospital." She touched Regina's arm and met her eyes. "I hope you know what you're doing. I can't lose Emma again."

Regina nodded once, understanding the fear of a mother. "Goodnight Snow," she whispered and squeezed the hand on her arm. The princess' eyes narrowed. This version of Regina reminded her of that tenderhearted girl who saved her from a runaway horse all those years ago. A horse made wild by Cora, Regina's own mother, setting into motion events that led to the creation of The Evil Queen. She left without further comment.

Pump in hand, she propped herself against a pile of throw pillows and laid back. Exhaustion etched lines into her face. The three remaining women simply followed her with curious eyes and gaping mouths. Their gazes found anything but her body when she unbutton her shirt and allowed everything to hang out. Regina smirked.

"We've all seen tits. You needn't be embarrassed." Regina poked at the uncomfortable tension with amusement in her voice.

Of all of them, Belle recovered first. "I'd like to check your incision since you are, for lack of better terminology than Ruby's horrid vernacular, letting it all hang out." She sat on the coffee table, set Rumpel's dagger beside her, and touched Regina's belly with gentle fingers and a smirk on her lips. She, too, had been desensitized to her own nudity during her years as a princess.

"I almost miss being bathed and dressed by my maids. The fact that it became my favorite part of the day as I grew older should have been my first indication that my persuasion leaned away from the straight and narrow." Belle theorized about Regina's behavior as she spoke. When she'd been kidnapped by Neal and Mendell, Emma sank into the same optimistic levity for the first week before completely losing her mind.

Regina pursed her lips, studied Belle's features, and then, "There is a freak hiding beneath that calm, timid exterior, isn't there?" Belle pulled back and met Regina's playful eyes.

"I vaguely remember an utterance of a foursome as Ruby played Neanderthal with her prize earlier. Care for a glimpse, Your Majesty?" Belle bantered playfully. Emma's heart magic tickled at the back of her neck, reminding her of the magical connection she and Regina created during the final fight with Pan. It was always there, but the deeper the connection with Emma's heart became, the more aware she became of that power.

Regina chuckled. "I should have cursed you as a porn star." The statement only solidified Belle's suspicions.

She grinned wickedly and said, "I'd have been too famous to keep Storybrooke a secret for long." She winked, and Regina smirked with an eye roll.

Ruby's distressed voice shattered the moment, "What the frilly fuck is wrong with you two?" Regina jerked as though she'd only just realized what they'd done. Belle only smiled and met her lover's eyes over her shoulder.

"Say hello to your new Truest Believer. The further Emma sinks into her anger and vengeance, the brighter Regina's heart becomes. They are still connected through True Love, but it's a balancing act. Don't worry," she winked at Ruby, "I have no desire for a foursome."

Granny harrumphed and pulled herself to the edge of the couch. "I think that's my cue to take this old bag of bones to bed." She reached for Alex, and Ruby relinquished her daughter with a hefty amount of reticence. "Squirt can sleep with me tonight."

"Granny, you may sleep in the master bedroom. The sheets are clean, and I'm far too exhausted to move from this spot. I'm not certain I could even master stairs tonight anyway." The matriarch nodded and then disappeared up the stairs.

Ruby scooted towards the arm of the sofa at Belle's urging and accepted the weight of her body in her lap eagerly. Belle leaned against the arm and held her body until the wolf stopped squirming. They created a human pretzel when Belle finally lowered her butt to the cushion. Ruby's head pressed into her chest, arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Belle's hand fell to her ribs, the other rubbing the forearm on her belly. Regina couldn't even have hoped to describe the tangled state of their legs.

"Soooo," Ruby drawled, much calmer now that she was wrapped bodily around her lover. "Why are we not concerned that Emma is essentially The Evil Savior disappearing to unknown locations with my 10-day-old niece?"

Belle pressed lips to her forehead and grinned. "What taught The Evil Queen how to love again?" She asked without raising her lips from clammy flesh.

Ruby smiled with snort of disbelief. "Henry, the love of a child." She nuzzled into Belle's chest and closed her eyes. "I fucking hate magic wielders."

Belle chuckled and scratched at the wolf's scalp with soothing fingertips. Regina snapped her fingers and a blanket appeared atop her friends and around her waist. Pillows suddenly supported Belle's back. Ruby hummed gratefully as her body finally retained heat, restoring the rest of what she'd lost from being dragged through the snow.

Within minutes of drifting off, the wolf whimpered and jerked in her sleep. Belle shushed her and pressed soothing kisses across her face and forehead. The wolf calmed. Regina switched breasts and met Belle's eyes. Despite her display of optimism and nonchalance, worry now settled into tear-filled brown eyes. The similarities between Emma's reaction to her kidnapping and Regina's now unnerved her to the core. Her friends were forever changed by her hands. She sighed deeply and tightened her hold around Ruby. Sleep evaded both of them that night.

Regina nodded as understanding passed between them. "Golden Girls?" She asked.

Belle nodded. "Golden Girls." Silence befell them once more as they waited for Regina to finish her motherly bits.

Belle swallowed her pain and envy. As uncomfortable as Regina's body became during the last stages of pregnancy and now pumping useless milk to be dumped down the drain because of the medication in her system, Belle wanted it badly. She wanted to be a mother, give birth to a little sibling for Alex, but she and Ruby were focused where they most needed to be at that point in their relationship. Like sex, bringing another child into the world only brought further distraction from the very real problems they needed to work through as a couple.

Eventually, the pump fell silent, and Regina disappeared into the kitchen for a few moments. When she returned, she snagged the remote and started the disc already in the DVD player. They both settled in for the long, sleepless night.

Belle woke to a hand between her legs. She must have drifted off somewhere between Ruby's last nightmare and Rose and Dorothy fixing a bathroom by themselves. Ruby's large hand added more pressure, having sensed with her sensitive ears and nose the waking affect the intimate touched provoked. Hot lips wrapped around her windpipe, and a low moan vibrated against the tongue spreading wet heat there.

"Ruby," Belle protested weakly. The lips spread into a smile, followed by teeth scraping her neck.

"Everyone is asleep, and Regina is struggling to bathe herself upstairs," Ruby informed her already squirming lover. Belle nearly reached the point of not caring if they got caught.

Ruby grinned into the fierce kiss as Belle untangled their legs and straddled her hips. Already she moved sensually against the thinner body beneath her. Bellies, breasts, hips all grinding in a voluptuous motion that pulsed tendrils of adrenaline into Belle's center. Ruby sat up abruptly, breaking the kiss long enough to remove the shirt blocking her lips from her lover's skin. Her bra followed a moment later.

Dusty pink nipples already harden with desire stared her in the face. A throaty moan filled the room when she lapped at one with a hot, wet tongue and palmed the other fleshy mound. Heat exploded between Belle's legs, and she jerked at Ruby's hair in frustration. Between their excruciatingly slow and tender love making yesterday and the absolutely bizarre biological reaction of being aroused by comforting Ruby during her nightmares, Belle needed something faster, something that turned her into jelly and left her muscles quivering for just one more touch without actually being able to tolerate it.

Her back hit the sofa suddenly, hefty breasts jarring painfully without support. Knowing fingers made quick work of her jeans, leaving her spread and exposed and shivering against the cool morning air against her scorching center. Without preamble, an equally hot tongue slid through slippery lips, eliciting a hiss and demanding hand in silky locks.

"Fingers," Belle demanded. Ruby obliged first with two, testing the tightness, and then added another.

Whatever Belle wanted, Belle got in that particular moment. Hips jerked into her when she scraped teeth over the harden nub of nerves swollen with desire. Belle sighed into the gentle ministrations, giving her mind over to the aching bubble of pressure in her lower stomach. Sex shut her mind up, gave her respite from the thoughts flying a million miles per hour, warded off the frequent migraines the colliding theories and words and dusty books often inspired.

A slight sheen of sweat cooled and reheated on her panting chest. It wasn't enough. She grabbed her breasts, rolling and pinching her own nipples as Ruby worked her lower body. Slicked fingers slid and curled, teetering her body on that precipice, and she longed to tip over the edge in the worst way. Her hands moved back to Ruby's hair and jerked at the tresses violently.

"Ruby," she panted, and the wolf met her eyes, tongue still plastered against her skin. "Fuck me," she demanded in a dangerously low and frustrated tone. Ruby's body jerked as her own arousal exploded.

Ruby lowered one foot to the floor and leaned over her the squirming librarian. Teeth clanked when Belle brought them together forcefully. Their joined mouths caught the cry and moan of the first painful thrust. Belle moved bodily with the force and wantonly rolled her hips, meeting her thrust for thrust.

Ruby pulled back, intent on watching her lover come undone. Fingers curled against the roughened patch of nerves within her lover. "Fu…" Their mouths connected again, catching the expletive before the noise woke the whole house.

Belle thrashed and moaned each time the long fingers within her bumped against her cervix painfully. Heat flushed her shining chest and face. Pressure built painfully in her lower stomach. A thumb bumped her clit, muscles clenched. Teeth sank into Ruby's neck, muffling the scream that accompanied the painful ecstasy of the muscle spasm within her.

Ruby waited until the teeth disappeared and covered her lover's mouth with a firm hand. Belle's brow furrowed in confusion until the fingers broke free of her slick, clenching muscles and pounded out another frantic rhythm. Each dominating stroke brought a vibration of sound into Ruby's palm. Blue eyes slammed shut at the explosion of renewed arousal and adrenaline spilling into her veins.

Nails clawed at Ruby's arm and shoulder as the already tightened pressure built again. Belle's back arched from black leather, damp skin peeling free with a suctioned _rip. _Ruby impaled her twice more and watched the resulting spasm paralyze her lover in the wanton position. After a moment, she slumped to the couch and tossed an arm over her eyes. Ruby swallowed and soaked up the vision of a completely undone Belle. It was beautiful.

She still cried, though not nearly as often. Ruby assumed it had to do with the fact that Belle believed sex kept her interest from completely wandering to Regina, but occasionally when she completely gave herself to Ruby like she just had, the tears of bliss came. Ruby wanted to help her get them back every time, knowing she took that intense emotional aspect from sex for her lover.

"Babe?" She whispered and twitched her fingers against Belle's g-spot. A broken sob accompanied the wave of pleasure. Ruby smiled and repeated the action, receiving the same response.

Belle shook her head, and her lover complied with her request by removing her fingers and wiping them on jeans. She lifted Belle easily with an arm beneath her shoulders and knees and readjusted them on the sofa. Ruby leaned against the pillows, settled Belle in her lap and against her chest, and covered the shivering librarian.

She caught the other woman's hand when it slid over her breast. "Just enjoy it, Baby. Consider it a thank you for watching over me last night." Belle nodded against her chest as more tears slipped onto the already wet shirt beneath her cheek.

"I love you," the emotional woman whispered and brushed her thumb over Ruby's collarbone.

Ruby smiled and kiss the crown of her head. "Even though I'm an idiot?"

Belle snorted. "You're my idiot."

"I think you're both idiots," Granny's gruff voice clipped from the foyer. Ruby's eyes widened comically, and Belle hunkered beneath the blanket. "I'll be in the kitchen making breakfast with your daughter once you've sanitized that couch." She stomped towards the kitchen and then returned.

"By the way, you owe Alex a surprise. It was the first thing I could think of to keep her from coming downstairs. She thinks you hid it from her." Granny grunted, uncomfortable with the scent of her own granddaughter tickling her nose, not that she hadn't smelled it many times before, but not directly after the fact. She stomped to the kitchen, hell bent on making coffee and bacon and sausage and muffins and anything else they had ingredients for simply to mask the scent.

Ruby groaned. Belle chuckled. "And that is why Emma bitches about your wolf hearing," she poked at her embarrassed lover. The arms around her tightened, and Belle readjusted her temple against the defined collarbone beneath it.

"I need to wear my hood at all times in this house, don't I?" Belle nodded against her chest and traced tiny circles into her chest.

"Yes, you do," came Regina's voice before her body materialized before them. She waved her hand as greeting and then followed Granny into the kitchen. "Henry's up by the way."

Belle grumbled. The idea of clothes sounded as appealing as rubbing sandpaper all over her body. Ruby read her mind and snagged her pile of clothes from the side of the couch, hiding them beside her. Belle readjusted the blanket, covering her whole body aside from her head, and snuggled into her lover's chest. She doubted anyone bothered them again until they wandered into the kitchen. They were wrong.

A flash of purple on the other side of the coffee table completely destroyed any moment they may have created. Emma appeared with violet eyes and a crying infant. She studied the two women for a long, hard moment. Regina appeared at the door, drawn by the sound of her screaming daughter.

"Emma," she breathed and stepped towards her partner with raised hands. Emma tensed but remained otherwise still. Regina stepped closer. "Emma, it's okay. You protected her perfectly, Darling. She's safe now."

Emma lashed out a moment before Regina touched the hungry child. Her head jerked to the side, blood exploding in her mouth beneath the force of the backhand Emma delivered. The raging woman snatched Annabel's diaper bag from the floor and disappeared in another puff of smoke. Regina exhaled dumbly and touched her split lip.

Belle and Ruby clamored to her side fully clothed and wide awake. "What the hell is wrong with her!" Ruby raged. "I don't care how fucking angry she is, nothing can make that okay, Regina." She waved her hands dramatically, her own anger flaring. No matter how fucked up she'd been, she never would have dreamed of striking Belle or Alex.

"She's got to go. We've got to get Annabel away from her. I'm sorry, Regina. I can't even imagine what you're going through right now, but Emma is fucking evil, just as evil as the witch she took down last night, and we're trusting her to care for Annabel?" Ruby spurted her opinion on the subject.

Regina recoiled with a slap of her own. Ruby's surprise killed her righteous anger in her chest. "Do you forget to whom you speak, Wolf? I have the blood of hundreds if not thousands on my hands. I raped Belle." They all shifted uncomfortably, never having heard the words fall from Regina's lips before. "I forced Graham to have sex with me against his will for 28 years. I have done unspeakable things, things far worse than you know." She paused and allowed that revelation to settle into the tension around them.

"And now my beautiful and pure soul mate has to live with that rage and vengeance, perhaps for the rest of her life. I will not simply toss her aside and write her off as someone unworthy of saving like every single one of you did to me. Every single one of you except Emma Swan."

Ruby hung her head as that statement slapped her in the chest. Regina continued, satisfied that her words hit the center of her target, "She hit me because she's confused and protecting Annabel. If you cannot handle the fact that it might happen again, because I feel certain it will, there's the goddamn door, feel free to use it."

With that statement, she turned on her heel and stalked towards the foyer. She needed a pill and a cup of coffee… and a plan.


	31. Still the Savior

Leave me some love, my darlings!

Songs: Ireland by Garth Brooks, Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, bad Reputation by Joan Jett

* * *

><p>Days passed slowly. Ruby and Regina made up with apologies and a hug over coffee two days after Regina slapped her. The wolf disappeared often without speaking of her whereabouts before or after, but they suspected she searched for Emma's location. Belle researched the heart swap, desperately relying on her books to save her friends. Regina made up for lost time with Henry, recovered from surgery, and waited.<p>

She expected the hopelessness of yet another separation to consume her heart, obliterate her soul. Yet, each time grief wrapped thick, roughed fingers around her heart, the organ swelled with an overwhelming belief in their love. The feeling reminded her of creating a True Love connection with Emma in Salem. Emma felt this unbelievable and unconditional affection always, no wonder the darkness and anger tossed her around like a ragged ship during a hurricane.

Exactly a week passed before Emma returned. It was a rare moment when Regina found herself alone in the house. Belle and Henry sorted books at the library. Ruby and Alex went to the diner to help Granny, or in the toddler's case, distract her grandmother from the work while Ruby took over completely. She took advantage of the silence and used the time to simply breathe. In that moment, Emma came to her. One moment she made water for the decaf tea she'd returned to since she no longer needed the pain medication, the next Emma Swan stood next to her with a crying infant.

"Emma," Regina breathed and took a step back.

"I need baby Motrin or Tylenol. I think she has a fever. She hasn't eaten since last night. She won't take the bottle." Emma ignored the other woman's shock and demanded help for the girl who couldn't speak.

"May I hold her?" Regina asked carefully, prepared for another assault. Emma nodded and carefully placed their daughter in her arms. Fear flickered in streaks of bright green within the violet eyes, and Regina watched the struggle between giving into her fears and maintaining her power.

"In the top cabinet, we have medicine," Regina instructed her. When Emma stepped away from them, Regina released the reverent sigh inspired by simply holding her daughter once more. She pressed a lingering kiss to the tiny forehead. It indeed felt warm but not alarmingly so. Her smile spread widely. Emma was a paranoid parent in this moment, not a badass witch protecting a power she believed everyone sought to extort.

Emma measured precisely and administered the liquid into her daughter's mouth. Regina watched with watery eyes. Emma met her gaze, eyes still flickering. "Is she going to be okay?"

Regina hummed and nodded against her daughter's silky hair. "I think she'll be fine," she assured her and relinquished her hold on Annabel when Emma reached for her. "Emma," she whispered and touched the hand holding the infant's leg with soft fingertips.

"No one in this house will harm Annabel. You may come here whenever you'd like." Regina searched the flickering eyes, looking for a sign of her Emma. "I miss you, Darling."

Emma took an involuntary step back, removing the warm fingers from her cold hand. She studied Regina's face for a long moment, looking for signs of deceit and danger. She grabbed her head with her free hand and turned away, mumbling to herself. Regina's heart clenched. Amelia truly broke her. Regina switched tactics.

"Emma, I need your protection, too. Will you stay with me a while?" The blonde whipped around, violet flaring in her eyes. Regina cried in relief and heartbreak on the inside. Emma cared, the mere suggestion that danger found her once more sending her spiraling into another fit of rage.

"I'll kill whoever lays a finger on you," Emma threatened in a deep growl.

Annabel cried out, sensing the rippling wash of tension rolling off her mother. Emma's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, Squidgelette. Please don't cry," she cooed quietly to the infant. "I'm doing the best I can, Annabel. Just give me a chance."

Regina's heart shattered, the heady memory of whispering those same words to Henry fresh in her mind as though they'd been yesterday. "Emma," she caught her attention before reaching out for her again. "Let me see if she'll take to my breast. Maybe she's just hungry?"

Emma searched her eyes in desperation. Regina held her breath as her once sweet and loving Emma assessed the risk of trusting her. Slowly, she nodded and extended the infant towards the mother who gave birth to her.

"Regina! I found it!" A swirl of yellow smoke choked them as the excited voice reached them before a body completely materialized.

"Emma, it's okay. Belle won't hurt me or Annabel," Regina intervened quickly, but the flare of Emma's eyes and the tickling pull of Emma tapping her magic told her that the enthusiastic librarian spooked her partner.

Emma jerked back, grabbed the bottle of medicine, and disappeared as Belle's baby blues met hers. The librarian gasped, the dusty tome in her hands forgotten. Regina loosed a growling scream of frustration and slung the kettle across the kitchen. It busted a cabinet door and clattered to the tile. Hot water gurgled and hissed, spreading over porcelain in spurts.

"Goddamn it, Belle, I had her!" Regina cursed at her friend and then covered her face. Tears of frustration and grief leaked onto her face.

Belle stared, shell shocked for a moment, and then gently deposited the book on the counter. "Regina, I'm sorry," she whispered as she touched the distraught woman's forearms. Regina collapsed into the hug offered and clung tightly to her friend.

"I want her back. I want my daughter," Regina confessed around the quivering sobs. "I want Emma."

"I know, Sweetheart. I'm going to get her back for you," Belle vowed as she pulled back and held Regina's head in both hands. She smiled, "I found the reversal ceremony. Rigal II, his wizard Zercon helped develop heart magic. He experimented quite a bit on humans and animals alike." The pace of words increased with each one that fell from the genius's lips. Regina wiped her eyes and glanced over the page Belle poked at excitedly.

"I found it, Regina. I need to go to Gold's shop and gather a few ingredients, but I think I can cobble together the potion without Amelia. I admit potions aren't my forte, but I get by well enough. She's much better. After that, I need both hearts, sprinkle the potion, say the enchantment and then…" She finally stopped for a breath, chest heaving with lack of oxygen and apprehension.

Regina pursed her lips. Unfortunately, the information remained at Belle's mercy. The language of Rigal II was a dead language she never bothered studying. "What is it, Miss French?" She sighed and then laughed hollowly. "Blood of a virgin? The sacrifice of a child? I painted myself once and supplicated my naked body to the full moon. What is it?"

Belle cocked her head to the side, wondering exactly what spell or curse required Regina to perform such a silly ritual. "A blood oath of everlasting devotion. I have to disconnect the bonds your souls made with the wrong hearts, but in order to do that, the holders have to make a blood vow, binding them together for eternity. One can no longer exist without the other, perhaps not even through a natural death. You may die at the exact same moment. Are you certain Emma is the one?"

Regina crossed her arms over swollen breasts and raised an eyebrow. Belle snorted and shook her head, eyes dropping in embarrassment. "Considering you're the most brilliant person I've ever met, you exercise your right to idiocy far too often." Regina smiled as Belle's blush deepened.

Regina touched her shoulder lovingly, and Belle grinned up at her. "We have work to do, Miss French." Belle's brow crinkled in confusion. "The time has come for me to be a wife again. We have a wedding to plan, and I have a lost soul to rescue. Let's bring her home."

She clasped hands with the grinning librarian and then relinquished her hold when her phone shattered the moment. Regina grunted at the awful ringtone that blared. Her son had most definitely returned, and she remained convinced that he changed the tone now without Ruby's influence. It amused him, so she allowed it without protest, feigning distress when he was within eyesight or earshot when someone called. The barely contained giggles made every second worth it.

"Miss Lucas," Regina purred into the phone, feeling lighter than she had since discovering the heart swap.

"Regina!" A growl and scratching and yelling followed. "Granny's! Town Hall! Now!" Regina jerked back when the line went dead.

Her eyes met Belle's, and she snapped her fingers, covering herself in clothes fit for outside. "Go to Granny's," she ordered Belle. "Protect Henry and Alex." And then she was gone, trusting Belle to follow her orders without question. She did.

Regina materialized in the town square in the middle of chaos. Ruby stood off to the side, fending off citizens of Storybrooke. Gold stood at her side flinging fireballs at monkeys flying overhead. Monkeys? Really? Snow and a few others beat back the crazed citizens near the wolf. Regina called her blood and loosed a perfectly aimed flaming ball of fury into the back of a winged creature trying to carry Astrid off.

A maniacal yet posh laugh caught her attention as Astrid fell to the snow and scurried away to safety. Regina whirled, finding the source atop Town Hall, observing the carnage from a safe distance. Zelena blew a kiss to her and then touched Lauren's cheek intimately. How had the bitch escaped Blue's shackles?

"Little sister, do you like my pets?" Zelena called down to her.

Regina sneered. "Ruby!" She called for her faithful wolf, needing her back covered if she intended to face a witch much more powerful than she.

"I'm here," Ruby answered, practically in her ear.

Gold appeared at her side, and Regina smirked. "Time for me to use you, you bastard." The dagger appeared in her hand, and Rumpel struggled but raised his arms. "Don't hit Lauren or anyone under her thrall."

Adrenaline spiked in Regina's chest as the imp who tormented her for years and then her dreams for many more bowed in acquiescence to her will. That old surge of power filled her veins as she found the righteous anger within Emma's heart. Zelena appeared in front of her, and Regina flung a fireball immediately. Gold reluctantly threw a few of his own, keeping the now completely green witch on the defensive.

Regina pinched her fingers in a squeezing motion, taking Zelena by the throat magically. "I told you once, you crazy bitch, my mother had only one daughter." Zelena flew bodily into an electric pole, no doubt using magic to lessen the blow.

The subsequent thud offered satisfaction anyway. "Amelia says hello," Regina taunted and grabbed the woman again.

"Your mother had two daughters," Rumpel mentioned casually at her side with a murderous glint in his eyes. She controlled his actions but never told him to remain silent, just like no one told him not to release the crazy witch he'd abandoned years ago. Between the band of Scoobies or Zelena, he decided he much preferred the darkness.

Regina faltered, "What?" Zelena grabbed her opening, and before The Dark One responded to her surprise, she went airborne. Stacy's car approached her quickly, and she flung out her hand in time to slow the momentum of her fall to something manageable. Still, her recovering body disobeyed her command to move after the rough landing.

Two hands grabbed her coat and pulled her forward, narrowly saving her from the fireball that exploded the hood where she'd landed. She toppled atop the body onto the pavement. Something popped within her stomach, and she curled into a ball with a pained scream. Small hands pulled the dagger from her grasp. "Protect Regina!"

Snow knelt and grabbed her hand, pulling her behind the car and away from the line of magical fire. "Kill Zelena!" She ordered Rumpelstiltskin, tucked the dagger into her pants, and loosed an arrow into a creature making a beeline for the downed witch. She wore no coat, clearly having rushed towards the battle with only her bow and quiver of arrows.

Belle yelled her name and punched another enthralled citizen. She'd cast a protection barrier over the diner after ridding it of the few thralls focused on their family and then sprinted to Town Hall rather than poofing into the chaos directly. Too many of her friends and acquaintances stood between her and Ruby and Regina.

Thankfully, those on the ground all appeared to be breathing. Regina nodded and pointed towards Ruby. She wasn't getting back up, but she wasn't taking any soldiers from this battle. She sprinted by them, turned at the precise moment, and slammed her back into Ruby's. Gentle pulses of yellow Earth Magic slammed into the advancing crowd, blowing folks at erratic angles. Some of them recovered, but some remained in the wet snow unconscious.

"Snow!" Regina caught the other woman's attention and stopped a knife inches from her back. She glared at the culprit and sent a pulse into Archie's chest. He'd live.

Snow nodded her thanks and blocked another attack, using the end of her long bow as a club. "Regina, can you stand?" The witch shook her head.

"I'm down, Snow. We need to take Lauren out. Take my hand, I'll poof us there. Try not to kill her," she added as an afterthought. Snow nodded and took hand. "Hold your breath, Princess."

They flew apart and materialized atop the roof behind the succubus. Snow coughed and sputtered as she lashed out with her bow, catching Lauren against the ear. The succubus fell to the roof, groaned, tried to stand. Snow smacked the bow onto her temple, and the misused woman fell limp.

"Sorry, Lauren," Snow muttered as she peeked over the edge. Those under Lauren's influence still advanced. Knocking her out solved nothing. "It didn't work, Regina."

The gasping witch lifted her hand. "Help me up." Snow obliged without a second thought and stabilized the injured witch as she flung fireballs into Zelena's back.

Belle tackled Ruby to the ground as they became victims of the crossfire. She sprang up immediately, pushing off her lover's back. Her boots thumped and slid on the slick ground as she took a wide berth around the magical fire, drawing the power of the earth into her hands. Adrenaline urged her forward as she leapt atop a car hood without losing her stride.

She pushed off the car and sailed through the air. "Zelena!" The green witch turned in time to solidly connect her jaw with Belle's glowing, dusty yellow fist.

She stumbled and grabbed her jaw. Belle skidded to a stop, reversed direction and slammed into her back. Her hand slapped the dagger on her thigh. Despite her lightening quick reflexes, the tip sank only a few centimeters into Zelena's chest before the witch tipped her chin, serving the librarian-turned-warrior into a volleyball. Belle sucked a deep breath and relaxed as it released against the force of the pavement. A sharp pain and distinctive snap of a bone breaking exploded from her arm. She rolled to a stop with a cry of pain.

Two balls of fire slammed into Zelena's chest as she found her feet and knocked her off-kilter but not to the ground. Another followed from the roof. She blocked it easily and then flung one of her own into Rumpelstiltskin's chest. He hadn't been ordered to defend himself, he reasoned and allowed the hit to land upon its target. Zelena sneered and pointed a finger towards Regina.

A winged creature snagged Snow's shoulders, claws digging and scraping painfully. The witch giggled as Regina slumped to the stone wall around the roof, catching herself on her elbows. She flicked her wrist with an almost bored expression, and Regina flew backwards. Little sister hadn't the strength to stand once more, not in her weakened physical state.

Her eyes turned to the librarian struggling to lift her body from the ground. She cried out and collapsed to the ground once more, clutching her arm in a hand with a pain wince. She must have broken it during the fall, leaving her half the witch she had been. The wolf scooped her from the ground with one arm a moment before a pulse of magic exploded pavement where she'd lain. Her momentum barely slowed as she narrowly avoided the following fireballs aimed at her back. She ducked behind the car Regina hit earlier. Laughter bubbled in Zelena's chest and erupted, echoing off the surrounding buildings.

She took her time, gathering enough magic in the fireball to obliterate the car and two heroines taking cover behind it. As she loosed the ball of death and destruction, an unexpected figure appeared directly in its path. Emma Swan with an infant strapped to her chest caught the magic, feet sliding and hands tingling with the effort. She reversed its direction and returned it to the sender.

Zelena flew back beneath the force of her magic. The heart dangling at her waist disappeared, attaching itself to The Savior's with a flick of Emma's wrist. With Lauren out, the thralls continued their assault, but the second Lauren awoke, they'd be released. Ruby appeared at her side and blocked a zombie attack as she loosed fireball after fireball into Zelena's chest. The witch squalled and squirmed. Emma grinned darkly and advanced a step with each assault.

Ruby advanced with her compatriot, taking down as gently as possible the innocent pawns in this sick game. Emma's focus belonged solely on the witch currently screaming under the assault of magical fire. When Emma came close enough, she released one more ball, waited for it to hit the target before grabbing the witch physically. Ruby stopped abruptly when Zelena's head twisted backwards with a sickening _snap pop_ of her vertebrae pulling from their proper positions. Emma surely enhanced her strength with magic to nearly twist the woman's head off.

Belle used one arm and her boots to fight her way through the crowd, clutching her broken arm to her chest. Emma whirled, energy pulsing from her hands. The thralls hit the ground and remained there. The next pulse flew into the air without direction. Monkey-like creatures caught fire and melted away slowly, like television vampires in the sunlight. Snow screamed as she fell towards the ground. Emma extended a calm, steady hand towards her mother, halting the descent a foot from the ground, and then allowed her to drop into the soft powder.

Annabel mewed, pulling Emma's focus onto the zipped pouch in front of her that protected the infant from the cold. She herself wore nothing but a t-shirt and jeans. She bounced a few times, making a shushing noise, and the girl quieted. Immediately, violet and green flickering eyes observed the scene around her. Ruby held up her hands, surrendering without hesitation. Belle clutched her broken arm and stared with pleading blue eyes.

Ruby spoke first, "Regina's on the roof. She's hurt really bad." Emma nodded and disappeared. Ruby glanced up and caught a brief glimpse of the tortured savior, and then she was gone, presumably with Regina to the hospital.

She then turned her eyes to the scene surrounding her. Breathing but unconscious bodies lay strewn about them. Belle leaned into her side and stared at Zelena's body. It lay on its stomach, but her lifeless eyes pointed towards the sky. Snow also gaped in horror at what her daughter had done. It was so quiet now, and the three women simply stared. Belle recovered first, spurred forward by the excruciating pain starting to pulse into her arm.

"Ruby, go to the station and check on David. Snow and I will call the hospital and get the emergency blankets from Town Hall left over from the wraith attack and cover these people until help gets here to transport them." She figured it made the most logical sense considering David probably needed medical attention, and Ruby possessed the strength to carry him.

Ruby shook her head. "I'm not leaving your side, Belle. I have a better idea." She grabbed The Dark One's dagger from Snow's hand and whirled on the man groaning on the ground.

"Hey Dark One, heal Belle's arm," she ordered, and he stood immediately.

"No!" Belle clutched her arm tighter and turned slightly from the man she used to love. Ruby held up a hand to him, halting his progression towards his former lover. "I'll have it set and deal with the pain before I let him touch me again."

Ruby nodded in understanding. Some pains were better than the remedies. "You heard her. You are never to touch her. Poof to the police station immediately. If David is injured, poof him to the hospital in the emergency room the second you find him and then come directly back here. If he is not injured, return immediately here with him to help." Satisfied that there were no loopholes in her instructions, she turned and strode towards Town Hall.

She picked up Stacy on her way and carried her inside and then returned for another. Belle caught onto her plan and magic flashed back and forth while Snow phoned the hospital. Unable to carry or drag any weight with her injured shoulders, she settled for pulling out the blankets as she explained the situation. One by one, she covered the shivering people Emma knocked out with a magic pulse more powerful than she'd seen before. With the belief of The Truest Believer in her veins and the rage of The Evil Queen's heart in her chest, Emma remained as powerful and unstoppable as she'd been with her proper heart, only positively vicious.

Across town, Emma appeared in the emergency room, kneeling beside a barely conscious Regina and an out cold Lauren Danes and shushing a crying infant. Staff in scrubs swarmed them, and Emma lit a fireball. Everyone froze and pressed away from the raging savior.

"I want Eva Zambrano," Emma demanded. Someone scurried to a phone. Regina squeezed her hand tightly. Emma's brain told her that it was fear, not pain. "Anyone else tries to touch either Regina or Lauren will get fried. We clear?" People backed away with fearful eyes and disbelieving nods.

Eva's commanding voice cleared the crowd with a curt, "Move!" A gurney appeared, and Emma snapped her fingers, magic flashing Regina to the bed. A frightened nurse pushed another beside it, and Emma repeated the process with Lauren. Eva glanced at her lover with a pained and guilty expression for a lingering moment and then pushed Regina into a triage room, trusting Emma to follow with Lauren. It was her fault that Lauren became a victim of Zelena's power struggle. If she hadn't required so much damn attention while treating patients, the nurse never would have ousted herself as a powerful succubus.

Lauren groaned as her bed came to an abrupt stop. Eva's chest sank in relief. She'd only been knocked unconscious. The nurse touched her head and winced. "Eva?"

The surgeon raised her eyebrows but never removed her focus from Regina. "I'm here, Lauren. Emma is at your side if you need a hand to hold." It damn near killed her to maintain any semblance of professionalism or propriety. She nearly threw her hands in the air and said fuck it when an overwhelming urge to soothe her girlfriend smacked her in the gut.

Emma took the extended hand, and Eva continued cutting away Regina's slacks. "Emma, I need Addison Montgomery to examine Regina. She's the best person to ensure Regina requires no further surgery. Is that okay?" She met flickering violet eyes. Emma considered the request for a moment and then nodded her permission as Eva covered Regina with a gown.

Eva moved to the phone on the wall and talked quietly into the receiver. Emma snagged the heart at her waist and pulled it from the pouch. She gasped when tendrils of Lauren's feelings towards her tingled up her arm and settled into her heart. Respect. Loyalty. Gratitude. A hefty amount of admiration. Companionship laced with a tinge of love. She never knew how deeply the nurse cared for or looked up to her. Lauren cracked an eye and slammed it shut as the organ sunk into her chest.

"Amelia knows how to make a potion that can protect your heart from ever being used against you again. I'll make sure you and Eva are protected. I failed you last time, but I've got you now. I'll take care of you like you've always taken care of my family." Emma words were soft, barely a murmur. Lauren nodded with an emotional gasp, and Eva caught her eyes with a grateful nod as she returned to Regina. Lauren's other hand touched the small of Eva's back, loosening the around scrunched muscles of their tension.

Emma unzipped Annabel's cocoon and detached the infant from her shoulders. She laid her gently at Lauren's feet and then waved a hand over her daughter before gathering her in an arm and reclaiming Lauren's hand. "I enchanted her neck to remain perfectly still before I joined the fight. It couldn't have been comfortable, but she's not big enough yet to be carried around in one of those things safely," she explained at Lauren's confused expression.

Her focus fell to her daughter and words flowed from her lips in sickening baby babble. "Right. Gotta protect Mama Emma's little Squidgelette. That mean ole witch won't be bothering us again." She kissed the infant's head, and her eyes flashed bright green, flickering back to violet as she pulled away.

She was exhausted, Eva noted silently. Deep lines etched into her face, and black circles encased her sunken eyes. If she'd slept in the past week, it hadn't been much, perhaps an hour or two a night. Her assessment of Emma's deteriorating physical state ended when a clatter of heels and Ruby Lucas' demanding voice echoed off the walls just outside the door.

A fireball appeared in Emma's hand as Addison, Ruby and Belle rounded the door. Addison jumped in surprise and froze. Ruby ignored her friend and guided Belle to a chair. Eva popped the brake on Regina's bed without waiting for the OB to recover from the shock of yet another fireball pointed at her head.

"She needs a CT and an MRI, Dr. Montgomery. No vaginal bleeding thus far, so that looks good. Emma, are you coming or you just going to wave that thing around?" Eva huffed, clearly not pleased with the idea of leaving Lauren. "Ruby, bring Lauren along. She needs a scan of her head. I'm assuming Belle's arm is broken, so she needs an X-ray. Might as well get them all over with."

Emma exited first, watched the two women being wheeled from the room and then brought up the rear. Her people had been left unguarded because of her fear for Annabel's safety and now faced worse injuries than before. She may not have trusted them with her daughter, but it was her job to protect what belonged to her.

An Evil Savior was still a Savior after all.


	32. Sanctum Sanctorum

Thank you for the reviews! I lurv them all.

Enjoy, My Sweets!

Songs: In my Veins by Andrew Belle, Rescue Me by Kerrie Roberts, Love Again by Cascada

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><p>Regina woke to soft words and a sharp burning pain in her stomach. Had she passed out from pain? She swallowed audibly, the sound of wetting her dry throat far too loud in her ears. The voice to her right swelled again, tickling her ear drums with a familiar cadence. When her eyes refused to cooperate with her brain's command to open, she brushed away the dust in her mind and focused on the hushed voices.<p>

"Lauren, come on. Eva told me to make sure you woke up every half an hour. You got a nasty concussion. So wake your ass up before I zap you," Emma threatened the nurse who groaned in frustration.

"Fuck off, Emma," Lauren's raspy drawl cursed. Emma chuckled.

"Not if my life depended on it, Succubus. Now quit your bitchin' and do as your girlfriend says," Emma bantered easily with the nurse who mumbled something Regina missed.

She smiled anyway. Emma sounded much like her old self. Cool fingertips touched her cheek, and the smile spread despite the pain in her stomach. Hazy brown eyes cracked, happy to find the room dim and empty save Emma and the other patient cursed to her bed by Regina's decision to knock her out and Snow's mean hook with her bow. Flickering green and violet eyes gazed down at her.

"Hey, welcome back to the land of the living. I told Eva not to give you pain medicine, but if you need some, just let me know. You pulled something loose inside, but Addison fixed it lapro... She went in with a camera and laser burned the tear. It wasn't bad, but she said it probably hurt like a bitch. Those are my words." Emma explained everything slowly, giving her hazy mind time to absorb the new information.

Regina grunted and swallowed, eyes slipping shut with the effort of moistening her throat. A foam cup with a straw appeared in front of her, and she took a small sip to test her cough reflex before sucking a larger gulp. That was the reason her brain felt so hazy, she'd had an additional minor surgery from being tossed around like a rage doll by Zelena. Her eyes flew open and unfocused with spontaneous panic.

"Zelena," she croaked. She had to go. She had to stop her. A firm hand on her chest thwarted any movement towards standing, which had been her stubborn intention.

"She's dead," Emma said, a hint of something indiscernible in her voice.

Regina relaxed into the sigh that deflated her chest. "How?" Brown eyes slipped shut as the guttural question tightened her diaphragm.

Emma's frown deepened as she studied the pained wince. "Regina, take the damn drugs. You can't feed for a couple of days anyway because of the anesthesia," Emma grouched with unnecessary gruff. Her jaw clenched immediately after the words fell from her mouth, teeth gritting as she regained a modicum of control over her anger.

Lauren pulled her back to reality, "I already called the nurse. I think Ben took over my shifts after Zelena took me the first time."

Her blurry gaze dropped to her hand picking at the white hospital blanket around her hips. "You can really protect my heart?"

Emma nodded and crossed her arms over her chest, head high and feet spread wide. "No one will ever control you again." She smirked, eyes flaring purple for an entirely different reason. "Unless that's what you and Eva are into these days."

Lauren's cheeks turned beet red and splotches of pink and white flowers erupted on her chest. Emma cocked her head to the side. "Huh, a blushing succubus. Now I'm super curious about Eva Zambrano."

A telling smirk spread across rouge cheeks, and Lauren kept her gaze lowered for an entirely different purpose. As much as she wanted to shout it from the rooftops, keeping Emma in the dark about the mystery that was Eva, the soul seer, proved a much more entertaining task. No one ever needed to know that the surgeon wasn't only capable of trapping one in the throes of fears and nightmares with her gift. Emma narrowed her eyes and waited for the answer that never came. She gave up with a shrug and dropped her hands to her side.

"So, how exactly did you two figure out that you didn't hurt Eva when you touched her?" She asked curiously. Talking with Lauren certain beat pacing the floor to rid the excess energy building in her veins. Annabel rested comfortably in the crib provided by the hospital, and Regina's even breaths told her that she'd already succumbed to the lethargy of post-op drowsiness. It was Lauren or angry pacing.

Lauren lifted her head, meeting the green and purple eyes studying her. "I found her in the locker room crying one night after my shift. I'd always been attracted to her. I guess the feeling was mutual as I later learned that was the reason she kept me on all of her cases. I hugged her. I didn't know she was a soul seer." She paused for a shy smile as she remembered each moment that night perfectly as though it happened moments ago.

She cleared her throat and continued, "She didn't pull away like I expected because of her skittishness to touching people. She just looked up at me with those beautiful, tortured brown eyes for the longest time and allowed my hands to stay on her shoulders.

_Eva's heart pounded in her chest. Was it possible that the young woman she'd fallen in love with actually offered a tolerable touch? Slowly, she raised one leg and straddled the wooden bench beneath her. Lauren's chest heaved beneath the intoxicating tension that nearly always surrounded them as Eva pulled at her scrub shirt until she sat eye level with the surgeon. _

"_What are you?" Eva breathed and cupped her cheeks softly. Watery brown eyes searched green as trembling fingers threaded into long black tresses creased with the tension of the band that held it back during the long shift. _

_Lauren's breath caught in her throat. "I'm a succubus, a pusher. Eva," she started but warm, frantic lips upon her own killed any thought within her brain. Heat exploded beneath her skin, and a throaty moan vibrated her lips against Eva's._

_Eva pulled back with a breathy gasp, "I'm a soul seer, Lauren. I can't touch anyone without… I can touch you." The revelation settled between the two women, one amazed and the other dejected._

_Lauren grasped the surgeon's forearms and pulled her hands away from her face. "Don't kiss me like that, Eva. Not if you only did it because it doesn't hurt you." Eva's face fell at the painful honesty behind the subtle confession. How had Lauren missed her feelings?_

_Silence encased them as both women retreated to their minds. "Lauren," came the emotional whisper that finally raised those calming green eyes from their joined hands._

"_I have loved you since that night you ordered an OR without consulting a surgeon first and ordered me to drop what I was doing and repair Emma Swan's ruptured abdominal muscle. You were so scared for her, and it made you… radiate an assertiveness I'd never seen in you before. Have you not noticed that you've been present for every single surgery I've performed since that night?" Eva dropped her gaze shyly as the words she'd yearned so desperately to utter fell from her lips._

_Brown eyes met green beneath hooded lids. "I never dreamed it possible to touch you. To feel you. Lauren," the emotional confession stopped short when moving lips stole the words. _

_No one blinked twice when the nurse and surgeon exited the hospital together. No one noticed them climb into one vehicle with bashfully heated glances. No one heard the gasps and cries of two anguished souls destined for self-imposed solitude swallowed with gentle kisses as they made love for the first time, made each other whole for the first time. No one witnessed the birth of True Love made possible by Emma Swan's everlasting love for Regina Mills, a love that continuously broke curses, accomplished the impossible, and reunited those meant to be as one._

Emma's chest heaved as the succubus' rattled and concussed brain unleashed the undeniable sensation of love and arousal into the now silent room, made so by the arrival of the very woman she spoke of so tenderly. Eva stopped short at the door and inhaled deeply as the familiar wash of Lauren's power settled into her skin. She'd experienced this very feeling each time they made love, but never outside of their bedroom. The surgeon glanced at a flustered and hyperventilating savior across the room.

Her eyes were bright green and holding for the first time in weeks. With a new mission, she strode to her injured lover and pressed an impassioned kiss to her lips. Energy pushed from Lauren in waves and slammed into Emma, anchoring her in the heady sensation of True Love. Emma grabbed her chest, whirled from the sight, and caught herself on the window sill with the other hand. Tears burned her throat and panic gripped her stomach.

"I'm going to go get some air. I'll be on the roof if she wakes up again," she spurted and bolted from the room.

Lauren's eyes opened lazily as a goofy grin spread on her face. Either from the kiss or the concussion, Eva would never know. "I just succubused Emma, didn't I?" She asked, not really concerned about the energy still emanating from her body.

Eva glanced out the door and then shut it quickly before returning to her lover's side. "I think you just succubused the entire surgical floor," Eva answered, brow furrowing at the sight of her staff suddenly hugging each other and pulling back with confused expressions.

Lauren scooted to one side, and Eva nestled into her chest. She brushed her thumb over Lauren's ribcage and settled into the embrace. "You scared me," she whispered when sloppy lips pressed against her forehead in a sideways kiss.

"Eva," Lauren caught her attention and then pointed to the crib holding the finally fed and slumbering Annabel. "She left her unattended."

The surgeon lifted her head and confirmed with her own eyes that the infant remained outside of Emma's eyesight. A bright smile spread on her lips, inspiring her eyes to find those of her lover's. "You're amazing."

Emma burst into the freezing Maine air and stumbled through the snow until she caught her weight on the metal wall surrounding the roof on the hospital. The frozen aluminum burned and seared to her hands, but she ignored the pain as the frigid air soothed her pounding heart and rushed oxygen to her slightly deprived brain. As the anger unraveled, pain and horror replaced it, bringing her to her knees.

Numb hands clung to the wall as her legs hit the freezing wetness of the snow deep enough to reach her hips in the kneeling position. Chin dropped to her chest, broken and full-body sobs exploded. Her heart struggled valiantly against the softer but just as powerful emotions of love and kindness and empathy. Her chest lurched painfully with a spike of grief-inspired adrenaline as the memory of hitting Regina flashed behind her eyes. Horror followed as the very recent sensation of Zelena's neck twisting out of place tingled on her fingertips as though she still held the witch in her hands.

Anger flared. She deserved it. She deserved worst. She kidnapped her daughter. She attacked Regina. She took Belle's heart, intending to use it as a spell ingredient. A spell meant to kill Regina, remove her from existence. She manipulated Lauren. She broke Amelia's back. She scared her son. She deserved it.

The comforting swell of anger wrapped its icy fingers around her burning heart and soothed away the emotions of weakness. It wasn't all-encompassing as it had been only moments before Lauren began her story, but it covered the ache and guilt of her actions until only a negligible wiggle squirmed at the back of her mind. It felt like coming home.

She slumped forward in relief, turning simultaneously so her shoulder hit the wall. She breathed and stared at the now mussed white blanket covering the roof and shivered. The cold sensitized her nerve endings, burning and stinging deliciously as she settled into the numbing rage in her heart. She knew what Regina and their family wanted. They wanted her to let it go, to become that loving, forgiving, fool hearted savior they all loved and adored, but the anger soothed her.

It took away the hurt. It was the only buffer between her and the deep scores etched into her soul by a life filled with more suffering than a single mind knew how to endure. Her head lulled against the frozen wall as tears of acceptance froze against upon her cheeks. This was who she was now. Her beautiful heart had been wrenched away and plugged into her soul mate. Regina deserved a happy ending, deserved happiness. She gave her that. She gave her everything. A family. A home. A purpose. A heart filled with love and compassion and belief instead of rage and darkness and selfish vendettas.

Even if Belle discovered a way to rectify the mistake, how was she supposed to snatch that away from the woman who had suffered far more than she?

A flustered, "Emma?" destroyed her brooding. Ruby knelt at her side and lifted her from the snow with strong hands beneath her shoulders. More tears spilled onto her face. The wolf gasped and froze, thrown by the vulnerability of the involuntary biological reaction to pain. Emma lashed out.

The wolf grabbed her broken nose and cursed as she stumbled back. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Goddamn it, Emma!" Ruby removed her hands and dabbed at the blood on her lip with the back of her hand.

Emma charged her again, tackling her to the snow. She landed one punch on a solid jaw before Ruby's superior physical strength caught her wrists easily and stopped the assault. "Emma, stop hitting me. Damn it. I don't want to hurt you." Ruby seethed, telling Emma with her flashing yellows eyes that at least a part of her wanted to return the punches.

She magic flashed from the grasp, standing over the wolf. Hands strengthened with adrenaline and rage grabbed the prone woman's coat and jerked her to her feet. As soon as she stood, another blow to her face landed, and Ruby stumbled back. She wiped the blood from her split lip and waited for the next attack. She blocked it easily, spun on the ball of her foot, and caught the back of Emma's ankle with her own. The Savior went down with a grunt, and Ruby backed away once more.

"I'm not fighting you, Emma," Ruby decided with conviction. If she gave into the violence, Emma's anger only grew. Regina had done this for her once, allowed her knock the snot out of her in the hospital parking lot before she learned how to control her wolf rage during the first full moon after the original Dark Curse broke. If that's what Emma needed to stay grounded and remain with her family instead of flitting away to unknown locations with her infant daughter, Ruby resigned herself to the status of human punching bag.

Emma screamed in frustration and rushed at her again. Wolf reflexes sidestepped the advance, and Emma skidded to a stop on the slick roof as she reversed her direction. Ruby took a deep breath and allowed her friend's fist access to her ribs. She gritted her teeth and tightened her stomach muscles as blow after blow crashed into her. Limp hands remained at her side, submissive. Emma growled and pushed her shoulders.

"Hit me!" She ordered. Ruby remained perfectly still. Her head snapped to the side and blood exploded in her mouth when Emma hit her jaw.

"Fight me, you stupid mutt!" She pushed her shoulders again. Ruby took two steps back under the force of the shove, not tapping her wolf's strength at all.

"No," she countered calmly. Her head snapped to the other side. Brown eyes flashed yellow for a brief moment and then calmed. "I'm not going to fight you, Emma."

"Fight me!" The Savior smacked her shoulders with frozen and ice burned palms. Desperation shone in her flickering green and violet eyes. The vice grip on her rage loosened with each denial.

"No," Ruby answered as she caught her balance. Her voice was calm and neutral, even if the ache in her ribs and face made her want to yell and toss Emma off the roof.

Emma grabbed her coat with clawed fists and shook her. "Fight me, you stupid bitch!" Ruby gritted her teeth, expecting the next bombardment of insults.

"Do you think you deserve this?" Emma latched onto the train of thought chugging through her mind. "Feeling guilty for moving in on what's mine while I was gone? Regina shut you down, didn't she? Told you to take a hike?"

Ruby breathed deeply and met her tortured friend's angry gaze. "I'm sorry, Emma. I never meant to cause you pain. I want us to be friends again." Another pull of breathtakingly cold air revitalized her lungs. "I miss you."

Emma backhanded her with a wail of fury. Her neck jostled painfully as desperate hands shook her again. "Fight me!"

Ruby shook her head. "I love you, Emma." Her voice cracked and strained beneath the honesty of the statement. She grunted when busted knuckles collided with her jaw again.

Ruby wrapped her in a bear hug, trapping protesting arms between their bodies. She whispered into her ear, "I'm not giving up on you. None of us are. Regina, Belle, Granny, your parents. Henry. We all love you. We all miss you and want you to come home. We don't care if you're angry or scared or hurting. We just want you with us."

The tingle of Dark Magic tickled the back of Ruby's neck, and she tightened her grip. "No, don't. Emma, don't leave," she pleaded, knowing she had only seconds before Emma magic flashed away, maybe for good. She was still able to exit the barrier. "Stay with us, Emma. Stay with me. Please, Emma. Please stay."

Quaking shoulders and a soft gasp were the only response as Emma went limp in her arms. Ruby's eyes slammed shut in relief, blocking out tears of her own. The entire scene reminded her so very much of the afternoon she'd held Regina in the barn after the witch released Daniel's soul from resurrected damnation. Regina was right. Emma needed their understanding and patience, not judgment and condemnation. Emma wasn't evil, she was angry and confused and grieving.

Not only for what she'd done while under the influence of the addictive magic in her heart but also the incredible loss of a heart so pure it may have accidentally reenacted the curse that brought her and Regina together in the first place with a simple wish. There was no way of knowing absolutely unless a culprit for casting the curse stepped forward, but the explanation of how they returned to Storybrooke made the most sense. It was a secret she intended never to share, not even with Belle. Let them all believe Zelena responsible for the uprooting of their lives once more.

After a few minutes, Emma calmed and stilled in her embrace. She pulled back, with numb but beautifully green eyes. "I have to check on Annabel," she whispered and brushed by her as though she wasn't actually aware of anything that just happened and disappeared behind the door leading inside.

Ruby followed a few steps behind with weary eyes and a heavy heart. No more words were spoken as they directed their steps towards Regina and Lauren's shared room. Ruby smiled at the scene that unfolded before her when she opened the door.

Granny and Henry fawned over Annabel, co-telling some sort of hero concoction they'd cooked up during their 'hero time' talks. Eva curled into Lauren's chest, her thumb brushing soothing strokes over her lover's forearm. Regina quirked an eyebrow and offered an amused smirk at a babbling Belle. The orthopedic specialist who set her arm tolerated very little psychobabble before pumping her brainiac full of some sort of medication. It had the exact opposite effect, lowering her inhibitions further and causing more words to spill out at a faster rate.

"I don't like her," Belle confided to Regina. "That tiny twit of a surgeon Eva trucked in to fix Amelia's spine. With her photographic memory and big words. Does she think I don't understand what she's saying? I know lots of big words, and like 30 different languages, at least ten of them dead." Belle waved her hand around, clearly unused to her intelligence being matched.

"Well, Dr. Lexi Grey, I," she jabbed a finger into her chest emphatically, "don't have to use big words in order for everyone to know I'm the most intelligent person in the room. Who the hell does she think she is? Why can't she speak like a normal person instead of flaunting her intelligence like a shield and dagger. Does she not realize it just makes her look insecure? Not really an attribute I want in a surgeon who is going to have her fingers around my friend's spine."

Regina and Ruby shared a knowing and highly amused smirk. Belle flaunted her intelligence for the same reasons. When she felt insecure, she hid behind her books and million useless facts stored in her brain. Belle followed her gaze, smiling goofily at her lover. Blue eyes brightened as another thought crossed her mind.

She pointed at Ruby. "Do you know what she needs, Ruby Lucas? She needs that ball gag I bought to go with your new leather bonds. Go get it." Belle ordered and flipped her hand in a very regal dismissal.

"Ho! Whoa! Nuh uh!" Granny covered her ears and shook her head. Her eyes screwed shut tightly as her face contorted with the new information of her granddaughter's sex life. Those girls meant to give her another cardiac episode.

Lauren snorted, "I win. You owe me backrubs for a week, Eva." She smiled without opening her heavy eyes.

Henry glanced between Granny and the wolf who looked like a lobster… a very beaten lobster. "What happened to your face? And what's a ball gag?" Granny patted his arm and shook his head, telling him with her horrified face that he really didn't want to know.

Regina covered her eyes with one hand, her stomach with the other and laughed outright. She, too, had been subjected to loopy drugs that made her act a bit silly. Emma started at the sound. It was so beautiful, so pure. Regina rarely laughed, and when she blessed the world with the sound, it rarely lasted so long. Part of it may have been the pain medication in her system, but the luscious abandon with which the sound occurred spawned from the lightness in her heart.

Belle crossed the room on wobbling legs and touched her face, not having noticed in her haze until Henry commented. No one had. "Sweetheart, what happened?" She asked up at her wounded lover.

Ruby, happy for the distraction from Belle's drug-induced slip, shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "Emma and I worked out our issues." She shared a look with The Savior and nodded.

Emma retreated to the chair Belle just vacated and watched with stunted amusement as the wolf fended off a loopy Belle kissing at her neck. She finally spun her and wrapped unrelenting arms around her intoxicated lover from behind, effectively trapping her uninjured arm.

Regina smiled at her friends a moment and then turned those shining brown eyes to her partner's. Emma's brow furrowed as she tried to return the smile but failed. Everything hurt. She dropped her eyes to her red and swollen fingers, made so by the cold and assault on Ruby's face.

A soft hand covered hers, bring her eyes back to Regina's. "It's okay to feel what you're feeling, Emma. You don't have to pretend to be happy or okay right now. Belle will provide at least another hour of entertainment anyway," she added with a grin and a wink.

Emma swallowed and clenched her jaw. Her eyes dropped to their joined hands, staring hard and long. "Please don't touch me," she said quietly, her tone telling everyone that it was a plea and not a command.

Regina pulled her hand away quickly, fast enough to tell Emma that she respected her wishes but slow enough to let her know that the request hadn't hurt her feelings. Regina understood. How could she not? She'd been in Emma's shoes, felt the anguish in her heart, literally. Slowly, the tension dissipated as the light banter returned with Belle's haughty protests against the restraints on her arms.

Lauren laughed and tightened her grip on her lover. "If I'd known this is how you recovered from a battle, I'd have done something heroic a long time ago."

Belle met her eyes and smiled prettily. "You, Lauren Danes and Eva Zambrano, have always been big damn heroes."

She flung her head towards Emma and Regina, blowing at a strand of frizzy hair that dangled across her face. Giving up on moving the tickling sensation from her nose, she continued, "Mal, River, and Zoe here would have died a long time ago if not for you two."

Belle paused and stared at Emma with narrowed eyes and a gaping jaw. "I guess we have to worry about you killing people with your brain now, River," she said as though it were the revelation to the meaning of life.

Everyone froze as tension snapped tight in the room once again. All eyes turned to Emma and breaths caught in chests when something remarkable happened. It was subtle, a barely there quirking of lips, but it was there.

Emma smiled.


	33. Together Apart

Hello, Sweet Doves! Many thanks for the wonderful and thoughtful reviews.

Warning: minor character death

Songs: Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright

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><p>"Did you check on her before you came down?" Regina glanced up at Ruby as she entered the kitchen with a sleepy, grumpy Alex in her arms. She'd clung tightly to the wolf for the past four days, since the day Zelena died. Tink eventually brought her to the hospital that afternoon when the child refused to be consoled by anyone but her Wolf.<p>

Ruby shifted Alex's weight to one arm and reached for the mug of coffee Regina presented. "Yeah, she's awake but she didn't say anything and she didn't touch the sandwich Belle took up last night. I don't know which I prefer, raging Emma or silent in a creepy sort of way for three solid days Emma."

The wolf deposited Alex on the counter next to Annabel's tiny bed. She scrubbed at her face with her now free hand. Alex leaned into her chest and played with the red streak in her hair, not quite awake yet. Ruby didn't look much better. She gulped half the coffee in one go and rubbed Alex's back with the other hand. She literally hadn't left her side since Tink brought her to the hospital. Ruby had to shower in a bikini suit with the door open while Belle held the crying toddler. After that fiasco, she gave up any sense of hygienic propriety.

The door bell chimed, and Ruby slumped under the weight of another potential crisis. David nearly bled out before she sent Gold after him at the police station. Captain wasn't so lucky. The death of the brave warrior turned deputy rocked them all. She never said much, but her fierce and quiet strength made a deep impression on the town as a whole. As Alex attached herself to Ruby and Emma refused to speak, eat, or move, Belle began acting as sheriff until David's recovery. No one protested one of the Heroines of Storybrooke taking up the position.

"Got it!" Belle called as she rounded the bottom post on the stairs in the foyer, donning her leather pants, black shirt and combat boots. The outfit made her powder blue arm cast covered in Alex's illegible doodles look slightly ridiculous, but no one commented on the fact.

Regina touched Ruby's arm and met exhausted red-rimmed eyes. Between lavishing Alex with constant attention during the day and waking several times every night to soothe the child's nightmares, Ruby nearly reached her physical limit. They all had, but Ruby seemed particularly disturbed by Emma's withdrawal. The bruises from whatever happened between her and Emma lingered. They should have completely healed by now, but the wolf lacked proper rest. No matter who pried or how often, Ruby remained tightlipped about what transpired between her and Emma on the roof that night. She and Belle stopped asking.

"Only Emma knows when she's ready," Regina murmured cryptically. Ruby nodded and chugged the rest of her coffee. She held Alex's hand and stretched her entire wingspan to refill her cup without losing contact with the toddler.

Belle's irritated accent filtered in from the foyer, and Regina grinned slightly as the door slammed. The librarian turned warrior turned witch turned sheriff clomped into the kitchen juggling two boxes. A huff of frustration puffed from behind the packages as she balanced them awkwardly with her broken arm.

"FedEx has come to Storybrooke. How is it that I know how to speak more languages than years I've been alive but I didn't know how to sign for a package on the dastardly contraption using a quill with no ink?" She grumbled and slid the boxes onto the island.

Ruby's lips quirked into a genuine grin of joy. "Babe, your princess is showing." Belle glared for a heated moment and then pulled her frizzy hair into a pony tail as she crossed to the coffee pot. She paused long enough to kiss Alex, ignoring Ruby as she fixed her caffeine. The wolf's grin grew into a smile.

"Ruby, this one has your name on it," Regina said and slid the box from the larger one. She knew it was a Leap Pad for Alex without asking. The girl had waited very patiently for her surprise that Granny promised from them.

"I haven't ordered anything from Massachusetts," she commented absently and studied the handwritten address that seemed vaguely familiar.

The three women shrugged in confusion. Regina pulled a knife from the drawer and sliced into the tape. Atop at dozen glass bottles of lotion lay a handwritten note in careful, but pointed script. The back of her throat burned with tears as her eyes absorbed the words. Ruby reached for the card, and Regina handed it over without thought as she pulled a bottle from the box and opened it. She inhaled deeply the faint scent of artisan sandalwood lotion she'd fallen in love with during her time in Salem.

"Regina, I hope you missed wearing this as much as I miss smelling it," Ruby read the card aloud and wrinkled her nose. "That's kind of creepy."

Regina rolled her eyes and snatched the card from the wolf. Belle and Ruby watched in fascination as Regina rubbed some of the lotion onto her arms and neck and hummed in pleasure as the subtle scent permeated the kitchen. "It's from Emma," she informed them with a rumbling timber and bashful smile.

Annabel chose that moment to wail in hunger. Regina nearly vibrated from the excitement of the moment. She'd been cleared by Addison to begin breastfeeding this morning. Ruby grinned as Regina lifted the infant from her portable bed.

"Are you excited?" She asked needlessly, and Regina offered a wide, opened-mouth smile in response.

"I'm going upstairs," she said as she left the kitchen with the mewing toddler.

Alex giggled. "She sounds like Gizmo," she informed her mothers.

Ruby bristled at the mention of the tiny beast that stalked her constantly and pounced at the least expected moments. Only her daughter loved "The Gremlins" enough to name a cat after one of the equally creepy beasts. How she'd come to see the movie was beyond both of her mothers.

Belle pressed into Ruby and tipped her face upwards for a lingering kiss. "Admit it, you like the kitten."

Ruby rolled her eyes and then searched for the beast. Surely the tiny terrorist plotted another guerilla attack to be launched at any moment.

Regina struggled with the stairs, stopping several times before reaching the balcony. She stood outside their bedroom door and caught her breath before entering. It was dark and quiet. Emma lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. Regina's heart clenched.

"Emma, I'm feeding Annabel for the first time. I didn't want you to miss it." Her voice barely reached a whisper, but a muscle jumped in Emma's neck, indicating that she'd heard every word.

Regina settled herself in the rocking chair that Ruby packed to her room and steadied her breathing. The emotion vein on her forehead popped as she undid the top buttons on her shirt. After a few fumbling attempts, the hungry girl latched on with fervor. Regina hissed, tensing at the uncomfortable sensation of her tender, engorged nipple being used as a feeding straw. She glanced down at her daughter, and everything else faded into the background.

The bright green eyes of her lover stared up at her from their daughter's face, and Regina brushed her fingers over black silky hair. The bed shifted, and the elder witch kept her eyes carefully pointed at the infant. Annabel waved her arm, and Regina offered her a thumb to hold as she suckled greedily. The girl definitely inherited Emma's appetite. Regina smiled into the emotional gasp that puffed from the back of her throat.

"You make everything worth it," she whispered. A tear dripped onto her face, and she startled when cool fingers brushed it away.

When shimmering brown eyes lifted to bright green, Emma whispered, "You're beautiful when you cry." Regina's smile spread painfully past its threshold. The first thing her partner chose to say in three days was to tell her she was beautiful. Emma was in there. She simply needed to ground herself in patience and compassion and wait. Emma wiped more tears as she knelt in front of the chair.

Emma stared, positively transfixed on the infant latched onto her partner's breast. A painful cord pulled tight in her heart. Regina dropped her gaze to the girl with drooping eyes. Without looking, she held out her free hand casually, putting no pressure or expectation on the gesture. If Emma took it, great. If not, she wasn't taking it personally.

"She likes the sunshine song," Emma blurted, edging away from the proffered hand.

Regina hummed and retracted the offer to hold hands and touched her daughter's hair. "I'm not familiar," she responded in a deep voice, thick with emotion but not rejection.

Emma's shoulders drooped. "Oh. It's the only one that I know. I learned it in one of my foster homes. They had kids of their own and used to sing it to them before they kissed them goodnight." Emma elaborated without provocation.

Them, not her. Regina's brow furrowed with the struggle against reaching out to comfort Emma. That would have only succeeded in pushing her away. She knew this place. Emma had to come to her. She offered her thumb to Annabel's tiny fist instead, replacing the yearning to comfort Emma with a swell of affection for their daughter's rather firm grip.

Emma shifted and tucked her hands between her thighs and ankles, sitting on them before speaking. "Anyway, if you sing it while you burp her, she drifts right off without a fuss."

As if Annabel understood the words her mothers spoke, she detached from the nipple. Regina gasped as the uncomfortable pressure released. She moved to cover her breast, but Emma's hand atop hers halted the movement. "Wait," she bade softly. Her face softened when Annabel yawned, made a frustrated sound and sucked at air.

"She always takes a break before she's full," Emma explained and guided the babe's mouth back to her mother's milk factory. Regina blinked rapidly, dispelling tears.

"That explains why we've had such a fussy baby for the past three days," the nursing mother tossed out casually, knowing Emma caught the underlying implication that they needed her expertise with the girl. She had been her constant caretaker since her birth.

Emma pulled her hand away, and Regina turned her gaze back to the tiny body in her arms. The second feeding wasn't nearly as painful or uncomfortable. Her fingertips ached for Emma's touch, and she hummed to her daughter as a distraction. It was a sad, haunting tune that Eva taught her when she'd hummed to a tortured and terrified Ruby while she cleaned her up and stitched the wounds inflicted by Cora almost two years ago. Belle was right. Eva and Lauren had saved all their lives at some point.

"You're wearing the lotion," Emma blurted, eyes firmly pointed at the floor. One side of Regina's mouth pulled upwards.

"I can't believe you found it. How is Gepetto?" Regina queried casually, waiting for Emma to delve into the deeper emotions behind the scent.

Emma's tortured features relaxed slightly as she spoke of the wise man they'd met in Salem. "He's still Gepetto. I swear he could be Marco's brother." One thin shoulder lifted as she compared the two in her mind and kept her eyes carefully pointed at the floor.

Regina's brow furrowed. She knew where Emma was inside her mind, yet hadn't a clue how to help her. They'd led far different lives. Emma's suffering created a heart the exact opposite of hers. She healed, and Regina destroyed. Now Emma's possession of her blackened heart tested every single moral and identity marker Emma created over the span of her life. Her redemption ached far worse than Regina's ever had, but at least if she remained numb and depressed, she stayed with them where she was loved and safe and protected. Regina sighed.

"I bet you bought a bag of his wife's chocolate chip cookies every week, didn't you?" Regina pushed forward, proud when her voice sounded lighthearted even if her actual heart felt like a slab of concrete in her chest.

The corners of Emma's mouth quirked upwards for a few seconds until she shut the emotion down once more. When she spoke, her voice remained the even neutral she'd been using since asking Regina not to touch her at the hospital. "They weren't as good as yours."

Regina smiled. "I add a dash of cinnamon because of your obsession of mixing it with chocolate," Regina confided conspiratorially. She always added a secret flare to her recipes that she rarely shared with anyone.

Emma glanced up suddenly as though the words electrocuted her. She opened her mouth to speak, and Regina's breath hitched. Had she broken through?

Annabel chose that moment to detach with a grunt, capturing the attention of both mothers. Regina glanced between Emma and Annabel, and the savior nodded, indicating that she'd finally finished. Regina winced as she maneuvered the girl to her shoulder and then glanced at Emma.

"Will you burp her, Darling? I'm still quite sore from the surgery." Regina feigned exhaustion. It worked. Emma reached for the tiny body as she stood and crossed to the crib for a burping towel.

Regina watched for a minute and then pushed herself to her feet. She wanted to stay, but she'd usurped enough of Emma's mental energy with their brief conversation. "I'm going downstairs to pump the other breast. May I leave Annabel in your care?" She asked as casually and carefully as possible. Emma nodded without turning around.

Regina exited the room and stood outside the cracked door, not quite sure what she waited for. After an extended moment of holding her breath, she knew exactly why she waited. Emma's voice, raspy from lack of use and strained with tears floated from the room. Regina leaned against the wall and covered her mouth as silent tears trekked her face and shook her shoulders.

"Please don't take my sunshine away," Emma finished in a breathy whisper that barely constituted speaking much less singing. "I'll always kiss you goodnight, Annabel. You're never going to be alone." Emma sniffed and then moved around the room, presumably to the bed. "You will never have to know that pain, not while I still breathe. I screwed up with your brother. I let him go, but I'll never do that again. I'll never let either of you go again."

Regina's eyes slammed shut, head bowing with the effort of holding her sobs inside. Her chest clenched and jerked physically with the weight of the emotions pressing against her heart. Emma was coming back to them, but as she did everything else, it happened on her own timeline in her own unique way. It could be tomorrow or it might be another year before they shared love again, but Regina dared to hope again, solidifying the belief in their union. She was The Truest Believer now, and Emma needed her.

Tears dried with the realization of such a precious responsibility. Emma needed her, which meant her own grief and emotional needs came second for the time being. Determination fixed, she descended the stairs and returned to the kitchen. Ruby and Alex glanced up at her from the table where they played with her new educational toy, listening to it read as they highlighted. Belle must have left for the station.

"Everything okay, Mama Bear?" Ruby asked hesitantly with a weary glance towards her daughter. Regina sensed her confliction between staying within Alex's reach and comforting her.

Regina smiled at her niece and nodded. The girl engrossed herself in the story, repeating the words as the machine spoke them. She was going to be as sharp and quick-witted as her Mama. Regina turned from the scene and pulled out bowls and a cookie sheet and food ingredients. She noticed Ruby's confused expression when she moved to the refrigerator for the eggs and butter.

"I'm making Emma cookies," she explained as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Ruby's mouth dropped into a perfect "O" as everything clicked into place. A grin replaced the expression, followed by a full-blown smile. Regina left Annabel upstairs with the depressed and withdrawn savior. In a few hours, Emma would be forced to reach out or at the very least come downstairs when the tiny girl became hungry once more. When she finally came out of her shell, Regina rewarded her with her favorite snack. If Emma refused her partner's cookies, her self-proclaimed "favoritest thing on the planet," she surely would die of starvation before they got through to her.

"Henry called. I answered your phone. He said that he wants to stay at the diner and help Granny today. We will never know what those two talk about, will we?" Ruby informed her of what they all already knew. Henry asked three nights ago, the day after Zelena's attack, to sleep at Granny's. He hadn't been home since except to have dinner and make faces at Annabel for an hour before walking back to Granny's with the woman's protective arm around his shoulders.

"I'm happy that he's talking to someone. I don't much care what the topic is," Regina poked at the line of conversation carefully.

No one knew exactly what Henry went through during Pan's War. Belle struggled to voice her own trauma, refused to see Archie, and generally acted as though it never happened except when she got drunk and completely lost it. On occasion, however, she and Henry shared a look. It snuck up on them during the most random of times - reading a story to each other or drinking tea or anything innocent thing that should have been comfortable if not happy.

They'd both been particularly prickly since learning of Captain's death. Snow brought the news the morning after Zelena's attack, giving them a night of peace before taking another shot. Belle and Henry came together instantly. Belle rested her head on the boy's shoulder, now the same height as her prodigy, and left the room without a word. Eva explained that Captain saved them from a particularly bad situation. By the time they arrived, Belle was unconscious and Henry held a bloody sword in his hands. She could neither confirm nor deny if their son actually killed someone that day protecting Belle. No one knew except one person, perhaps Belle if she'd been aware before succumbing to the head injury, but they weren't divulging much.

"Hey," Ruby snapped Regina from her revelry with firm hands on her shoulders. Regina blinked slowly, only now realizing that she'd finished mixing the batter and now stood still with the bowl in her hands.

"What?" She snapped and shrugged away from her friend. Ruby bit her lip and glanced at Alex, still content at the table with her new game.

"He'll be okay, Regina. He knows that he's not alone. That's the most important thing." Ruby comforted her friend and plucked some batter from the bowl, rolling it into a ball.

"Is it?" Regina huffed and covered her watery eyes, uncaring of the flour spreading on her face.

"Regina, what the hell is bothering you? You've been back and forth for days. I know it's not the pregnancy hormones now." Ruby tossed the second hunk of batter into the bowl and wiped her hands before touching her friend's shoulder.

"I did this to her, Ruby," she whispered and met Ruby's understanding gaze. "Emma fought the anger. She tried to go deeper, but she…couldn't, not with her love for me and our family. I begged her. I was scared for Annabel. Zelena would have killed her if the spell didn't." She bowed her head when tears stomped out her words.

"I did this to her," she whispered, not sure if the pained sounds actually formed words.

Ruby cupped the back of her neck and pressed her forehead into Regina's temple. They cried together. Their lives had been nothing but one loss and blow after another. The only reason they, all four of them, remained standing was the fact that they stood in a circle around their children and leaned against the shoulders of the woman behind her. Amelia was right; the Heroines of Storybrooke were inseparable, and expecting ever to be parted again by choice was a futile notion. The unreal and fantastical amount of trauma showed in their bodies; they were out of places to scar. It was impossible to overcome.

And yet, "Wolf, Adgie, don't cry. Love you," came the tiny voice of the little girl hugging each of their legs in her tiny arms. Ruby scooped her up and held her weight carefully as she and Regina sandwiched the toddler in an emotional hug. Somehow, the oxygen of life returned before they suffocated from the pain, and they wiped their tears, readying their resolve for the next crisis of faith.

It was imperfect by far, but it was a good morning.


	34. In my Daughter's Eyes

So, I have to admit. This story is tearing me up a little bit. Tell me your favorite part so far. Considering the dwindling enthusiasm and reviews, I'm guessing you guys are feeling it, too. This one is short, but there's plenty there.

Warning: you may need a tissue and alcohol. I sobbed like a baby writing this one.

Songs: Fix You by Mysha Didi, In My Daughter's Eyes, by Martina McBride

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><p>"I can't do this," Emma's quiet voice invaded Regina's wistful reminiscing of the love she once shared.<p>

The mayor raised her head from the fist where she'd propped it at least a half an hour ago, right after Ruby and Alex left for lunch at the station with Belle. Emma looked like a creature from the underworld. Flickering green and purple eyes sunk into her gaunt face. Blonde hair tangled into the human equivalent of the bird's nest. The clothes she'd worn when she killed Zelena hung loosely from her thinning body. Had she eaten at all since taking off with Annabel?

"Explain," Regina urged gently. Sweat erupted on her palms, and she wiped them nervously on her slacks. Emma gently placed Annabel in the portable bed on the island, and Regina swallowed at the sudden dryness in her throat.

Emma stared at her hands free of the infant. "Kill me, Regina," she said calmly and raised her violet eyes to shimmering brown.

Regina's brows pulled together painfully as her mouth dropped open. "What?" She shook her head, clearing the haze. Surely, she'd heard incorrectly. The pounding of blood behind her eyes told her that she hadn't.

Emma moved across the kitchen with calculated steps, never breaking eye contact. Regina searched for something in her demeanor to undermine the words, a hint of reticence in the request or doubt in her once again flickering eyes. She found none as Emma knelt on both knees and rested her hands on her thighs.

The struggling woman teetered on the precipice of something that she failed to understand. It was like a cruel joke, one that she understood on a superficial level but lost the punch line because she hadn't listened closely enough. It was pure torture, and the staring contest lingered as Regina waded through the clutter in her mind and searched for the right path before speaking.

"I'm not crazy, Regina," a breathy whisper said. "My mind is clear. It's so simple." Emma smiled, emphasizing her words. Regina touched a corner of the beautiful image with trembling fingertips. Emma kissed her palm, and Regina's heart leapt in her throat. Archie warned her about this. If Emma suddenly seemed happy for no apparent reason, she'd reached a decision. Emma wanted to die.

"Emma," she started and then covered her face. The savior waited patiently until she recovered. Inspiration sparked through Regina like a bolt of lightening. "I have a few conditions."

Emma smiled and wiped her lover's tears. "I understand. You need to say goodbye." Emma's voice was so soft, so gentle, so Emma. Regina nodded, unable to speak for several minutes. She waited patiently and swiped away Regina's tears. Regina understood. Regina had been here before. She believed that Regina let her go, let her choose her own fate.

With trembling fingers, she cupped Emma's face in both hands. "I want to make love to you one more time. Just once. Can you wait three weeks until Dr. Montgomery clears me?" Emma nodded. Brown eyes slipped shut as fresh tears slipped down her face. She had three weeks to knock down Emma's defenses and rescue The Savior from herself.

They opened a moment later to find bright green studying her face. "I want to know your story, all of it. You're an amazing woman, Emma. Even now you're sacrificing yourself because you've become a danger to those you love. Your life should be remembered and celebrated because it made you who you are." Regina halted as another wave of tears stole her breath.

She bowed her head and did something she never believed possible. She prayed. _Please help me save her. I deserve nothing. Her fate should have been mine. Don't take her from this world, not like this. _

Emma pulled her into an embrace and rocked gently. "Shh, Baby, it's okay. I've finally found peace with this decision."

Regina grabbed at her back with desperate hands. "I want to sleep beside you at night," she forced out between sobs, collapsed into Emma's shoulder, wailed like a bad actress during a death scene. Except her tears weren't faked, her anguish a reality.

Emma's heart clenched, moving with something other than pain and anger. Compassion. Momentary panic knotted her stomach but relaxed when she reminded herself that everything was temporary. She needed to help Regina understand, so she allowed the soft emotion purchase in her soul. It wouldn't hurt much longer.

"I'm writing my story, Regina," Emma blurted suddenly. Regina cried harder. "I started when it was just me and Annabel. Belle told me that she was chronicling our journey. I thought my version would help fill in the blanks. People should know the truth. Being a hero comes with a price. It makes you do things that make you wonder if you're just as evil as those you're trying to stop."

Regina pulled back and grabbed her face. "Emma Swan, you are not evil. You're the strongest and bravest and most compassionate person I know. You gave up your humanity to save your family." Emma averted her gaze, uncomfortable with the swell of affection and a deep yearning for the heart she'd given to her soul mate.

"Emma!" Regina shook her face, forcing her eyes to raise once more. Her voice was shrill and hollow, so unlike Regina's usual rumble. Emma stared in shock.

Regina stared back, watery caramel eyes flicking back and forth, searching desperately for that beacon of hope she kindled earlier. Finally, a lighthouse appeared in the darkness. Hauntingly beautiful green eyes filled with tears and blinked rapidly, confused as the hot salty liquid fell onto her cheeks.

"I love you," Regina whispered, so low and so breathy that she barely heard it in her own ears. "I need you." Emma's chin quivered, a valiant struggle against the tears already falling.

"I need you," Regina repeated. Emma's head dropped with the weight of her words, and Regina forced it up with the gentle but firm hands still on her cheeks. Emma resisted. Regina pulled their lips together in a sloppy, emotional kiss.

"I need you," she said against Emma's lips before pulling away, just enough to meet Emma's eyes.

"You don't have to be who you were before, Darling. My heart has changed you." Emma hiccupped a sob and tried to pull away from the comforting hands. Regina held tightly, not giving one inch.

"Your heart has changed me," Regina pushed forward, guiding them towards the shore with the only a solitary beam of light leading them from the stormy waters. Their love.

"Belle found the reversal ritual. She can set things right. It requires a blood oath of unconditional devotion." Regina explained succinctly, grateful that no naked supplication to the moon was required. That would have been far too much for Emma's brain to handle.

"What does that mean, Regina," Emma whined, followed by a gasp and more tears.

Regina pressed their foreheads together, refusing to relinquish her firm hold on Emma's face for fear of the blonde disappearing. It was her lifeline. "Marry me, Emma Swan. Be my wife. Help me raise our children. Grow old with me. Let me live the rest of my life as Regina Swan. Let The Evil Queen die for good." Regina's heart opened and poured her entire soul into the quiet plea.

They both cried unabashedly now, different breeds of grief shredding their emotional battlements. Belle was right. Their hearts were connected still, balancing each other. As Emma's anger lessened, Regina's untouchable happiness dropped. The more Regina accepted her grief and anger and pain of the situation, the calmer Emma became. Emma never needed The Truest Believer and the unwavering hope and faith that came with that title. She needed Regina. Just Regina.

Perhaps that's how Emma enacted the prophecy in the first place. She created magic with her compassion and gigantic capacity for love. Her magic never created compassion or love. That's why she failed to tap Emma's heart; she relied on the magic instead of relying on herself, just as she always had. Their love contained no magical switch, no word that enacted its power. Love birthed the magical organ in her chest, which explained why the power grew over time. Emma's magic grew from their love, from True Love, a love so strong that it saved her soul, combined two completely different realms, returned her own True Love, and conceived a child.

A faint golden glow seeped slowly from Regina's chest. It swirled around them, insulating their bodies and hearts in a blanket of unadulterated love. Emma collapsed into her chest and clung to her waist, violent sobs erupting bodily from the pureness of the emotion. Regina's hands wrapped around matted blonde hair, holding the tortured woman gently.

Emma heaved another sob. "Regina." The prayer barely reached the woman to which it belonged.

"I'm here, Emma," the gentle whine of Regina's equally distressed and quiet voice assured the broken woman atop her.

"I don't want to die, but I don't know how to stop it. The magic… I can't." Regina calmed slightly as Emma finally confessed her honest and very understandable fears.

A kiss dropped a crown of blonde hair. "You can. You're strong enough, Darling. You told me once to just believe and let everything else go. I'm repeating that to you now. Believe in me, in us. The magic, the anger… they're addictions, just like heroin. I know how it feels, My Darling. I know." Regina craned her neck as she spoke and pulled hair from Emma's face to study her features.

Green eyes stared numbly across the kitchen, blinking every so often as Emma gave herself over to the powerful surge of love emanating from Regina's chest. After a long moment of simply observing, Regina spoke again. "You can let it go, Sweetheart. You don't need them. I know it doesn't feel that way now, but I've been where you are. I know how vulnerable you become when you let go of your anger."

Regina shivered and hugged her tighter, more for her own comfort than Emma's. She possessed Emma's heart, but she was still Regina, still reserved and reticent. Bearing her soul, even to Emma, still terrified her on a deep level in the recesses of her mind. "You saved me from my anger, Emma. You saw it and acknowledged it, but you also saw the woman underneath that. Where everyone else saw The Evil Queen, you saw Regina, a damaged and abused and terrified woman."

Emma raised her head as Regina spoke, recounting the first few months of their relationship, back when they'd been frenemies on a good day. She had seen all the scars and insecurities beneath the scathing insults and thinly veiled threats. Regina smiled through the tears and cupped her face, thumbs brushing the wetness from pale cheeks.

"I see _you_, Emma. Let me love you through this. You taught me how to love." Her gaze dropped shyly as she remembered the first few fumbling months in Salem. Caramel met stormy green as she found her strength in those memories. "Let me teach you, Emma. Let me help you love again. Let me love you through the pain."

"I'm scared." Emma's chin dropped. She was weak, pathetic.

Regina lifted it with her words, "I am, too." Emma's chin quivered as she lost herself in those brown eyes that had given her so much strength in the past.

Annabel made her presence known. Regina and Emma snorted simultaneously. The girl most definitely inherited Emma's appetite and proclivity for stumbling inappropriately into moments that would leave her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she grew older. Emma pulled from the embrace reluctantly. The golden glow of True Love receded as Emma retrieved the babe. Regina blinked up at her and held out her hands, expecting Emma to hand Annabel over without hesitation. She jerked in surprise when Emma took one of her hands instead and pulled her to her feet and led her to the living room.

Once in front of the plushy leather sofa, she deposited the girl in Regina's arms. The older woman's brow furrowed in confusion until Emma adjusted pillows against the arm and leaned against them, one leg stretched out and the other on the floor. She swallowed nervously, clearly terrified of rejection. Regina's face softened at the vulnerability and then settled herself against Emma's chest.

She and Annabel found their rhythm much easier this time around, and Regina smiled at the tiny miracle, literally, suckling at her breast. Affection swelled in her chest, and tears of a completely different type burned the back of her throat. Emma's chest heaved and quivered against her back, telling her without words that she felt it, too. Strong arms wrapped around the ones holding their daughter.

"Look what we did, Emma," Regina whispered and touched Annabel's hair.

A tiny fist found Emma's finger and held tightly to the digit. Emma hooked her chin over Regina's shoulder and stared down at the powerful little girl they created. How could their love conceive something so incredible if it was a bad thing? Her own eyes blinked sleepily up at her from her daughter's face, and a ragged breath shook her chest.

Regina turned her head and pressed her nose into Emma's cheek. A light kiss followed. Emma tipped her chin and caught Regina's lips with her own. It was tender and sweet and surprising, almost like a first kiss. It inspired the same bashful emotions that one expected from a first kiss. Emma dropped her gaze with an embarrassed smile while Regina grinned at her like a fool with soft, watery eyes.

It wasn't quite love, not for Emma, but the emotion swelled somewhere deep inside of her dark heart. It felt like the beginning of a long journey home after several false starts. As she turned her eyes back to Annabel's, she realized that this felt better than hoarding the girl away from her family. Her power shouldn't be secreted away, it should be shared. She was the living, breathing, hungry representation of True Love. She was a gift.

Not just for them, but the world as well.


	35. Bacon Kisses

Yay! I'm so happy that folks are still enjoying reading this as much as I am enjoying writing, even if it tears up my soul like tiny little claws. This has been one of the most enjoyable summer writing projects I've undertaken. I'm almost sad to go back to school and end it, but alas, the world of psychology calls me.

Songs: Perfect by P!nk, Heartbreak Heard Around the World by Jacob Latimore

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><p>"How many times is she going to listen to this bloody song?" Ruby yelled in irritation at the kitchen ceiling and covered her ears as she joined the other two women.<p>

Regina raised an eyebrow and sipped tea as a response. Belle removed a cotton ball from an ear and handed her frustrated lover a cup of coffee. They all received a rude awakening around 30 minutes ago when Emma began blaring music just after four in the morning. Annabel and Alex apparently slept like rocks, but she and Belle moved them to the living room anyway, to save their hearing if nothing else. Ruby's valiant attempt to go back to sleep obviously sunk like a rock.

"Leave her alone, Sweetheart," Belle urged gently and handed her a cookie to go with her coffee. "How many late nights did Emma stay awake and listen to us when they lived in Salem? I'm not sure she actually slept the first four nights after Regina's surgery, not until Regina woke up enough to speak. No wonder she was wound up enough to jump Amelia in her office. Who wouldn't be?" Belle tucked her head beneath her lover's chin as she babbled. Her broken left arm rested on the dip of her back and the other hand played with the hem of Ruby's tank top at her hip.

Ruby's irritation deflated under the gentle reprimand. She was right. She was always right, and the more her stubborn wolf brain figured that out, the less frustrating and difficult her life became. Emma had held all of them together at one point. The closest she'd ever come to a true break down came in the form of refusing to speak after she'd been shot, but Regina's love confession pulled her out of that, covered up the pain before she went through it properly. Her memories disappeared before she accepted and grieved for the loss of Regina's love and whatever happened to her in Neverland, which they still didn't completely know. She saved Regina's life and protected them all from Zelena, and now she needed to follow her whims and fancies until she felt better.

"I'm just happy that she's finally taking a shower," Regina supplied her thoughts to the conversation and tipped the last of her tea into her mouth.

"Seriously?" Ruby deadpanned. "She couldn't take a shower quietly? Why now? Why not in the morning or at an appropriate hour at night?" Her exhausted irritation flared again. Belle's hand slipped inside the flimsy black tank top and rubbed her bare belly.

Regina ignored the outburst and continued, "I felt the bed move, but I thought Annabel woke up. Next thing I hear is that horrid female rock star blaring in my ear. The lyrics are growing on me, I admit." She slipped off the stool and ignited the burner beneath the kettle, now dented from its collision with the broken cabinet across the kitchen.

"I was thinking the same thing," Belle agreed sleepily. "Maybe she thinks we all need to hear them because they indubitably apply to all of us right now." Ruby felt her weight grow heavier with each passing second. Belle was going back to sleep while standing and leaning against her. The song started over, and Belle whispered the lyrics against her collarbone.

"Made a wrong turn once or twice. Dug my way out, blood and fire. Bad decisions. That's alright. Welcome to my silly life." She trailed off, and Regina surprised all of them, even herself, when she picked up the words. It had been at least the tenth time the song repeated; she probably could have sung the entire thing by that point.

"Mistreated. Misplaced. Misunderstood. Mis-no-way-it's-all-good. It didn't slow me down. Mistaken. Always second guessing. Underestimated. Look, I'm still around." She shrugged as the chorus surrounded the now silent trio. Regina opened a packet of green tea and added a small dash of cream and honey, wishing it was caffeinated.

Ruby bit into her cookie and rubbed Belle's back pensively. One short, guttural bark of laughter from the wolf made the other two jump. "I'll be damned." They fell silent and listened with new ears

The kettle whistled. Regina filled her cup with a heavy sigh as the song started over. "She doesn't want to go to Captain's funeral today," she tossed out casually and reclaimed her perch across the island.

Belle lifted her head, eyes almost refusing her command to open. "Are you certain you want to give Captain the Queen's Royal Guard Burial?"

Regina hummed and stared into her tea. "No, but it's what she wanted. She was very proud to be my soldier." She sniffed and swiped quickly at her suddenly wet face. The music stopped suddenly, and they all paused a moment to enjoy the now blissfully quiet house.

"Thank you, Emma," Ruby whispered, voicing their collective opinion, and rubbed a hand over her face.

Regina grinned at her loyal wolf for a brief moment and then pushed forward with the previous vein of conversation. They were all up for the rest of the night anyway. With a heavy sigh, her gaze returned to her tea. "Snow has promised to guide my aim, though I may use a fireball instead of an arrow. I'm not particularly skilled with a bow."

She glanced up at her friends, floundering for a solid decision. "That's more fitting, isn't it?" The warrior's death rocked the entire town, but Regina felt the blow particularly hard when Captain's 16-year-old niece under her care stepped forward with the details of Captain's wishes. No one even knew of her existence, at least not in relation to the quiet warrior they'd come to love and respect greatly.

Katy was a stoic, fierce girl who barely blinked a tear away when she'd appeared at Regina's doorstep and informed them of her aunt's desire to receive the highest honor a soldier in The Queen's Army possibly could, the ceremonial burning at The Queen's hand. After much coercion, the girl agreed to stay with Snow and David until more permanent arrangements were sorted. With a proudly high head and Captain's sword strapped to her back, Katy walked herself over to the apartment and even called when she arrived without prompting. She may have been raised by a warrior but she had obviously been loved and now had no one.

"I think she'd prefer it," a raspy voice called from the door. Emma approached Regina slowly, allowing her the opportunity to study her eyes and demeanor. Regina smiled up at the bright green eyes rimmed red with the remnants of tears. Emma was exhausted and emotional and hurting, but her mind remained firmly grounded.

"I think you're right," Regina agreed, keeping the conversation away from the fact that they were all awake and slightly grumpy right now because Emma felt the need to blare music at an ungodly hour.

Belle, however, jumped on the unexpected opportunity. "Do you plan on staying up?" Regina narrowed her eyes, glanced at Emma, and nodded with a modicum of confusion.

"May Alex stay down here with you in the event of another nightmare?"

Ah. Regina studied Ruby's rigid muscles, the flaring of yellow in her eyes, Belle's conspicuously absent hand that rested on Ruby's stomach a few moments ago. The moon became full in three days, and they'd had a toddler in their bed for the past four nights. A smirk tugged at her lips as she said, "Have fun." A tingle of Earth Magic tickled the back of her neck, and then she and Emma were alone in the kitchen.

"Do you think the leather bonds are here or at the library?" Emma ask neutrally, eyes quirked towards the ceiling, a mischievous softness in her face.

Regina laughed, a deep throaty infectious sound that slid up Emma's spine and settled into a warm tingle in her chest. She propped wet blonde hair on a hand and watched the other woman's eyes twinkle. Regina chuckled one last time and snagged the plate of cookies, sliding them in front of Emma. The blonde's nostrils flared as the tantalizing scent wafted up from the small disks of pure bliss.

Regina smiled and studied Emma over her tea cup as she bit into a cookie and groaned in pleasure. Food always won Emma over when she wasn't incredibly stressed or upset. She reflected Emma's pose and propped her head on her hand. A smile spread on her cheeks when Emma snagged up another cookie. Blush followed when she noticed Emma's wet hair soaking into her white tank top, confirming that she wore no bra.

"I think we have a pack of bacon in the freezer. Want me to make breakfast?" Regina blurted, distracting herself from the urge to take Emma in the kitchen. She only wanted to make her feel good, all the time. No wonder she'd coerced Emma into sex at the drop of a hat, no matter their location before the whole Pan fiasco. Not able to receive any of her own for another three weeks, she ached to give Emma pleasure constantly. Between Ruby and Belle, the house was destined for implosion when Addison released her.

"You don't mind?" Emma asked and fidgeted self-consciously. Her stomach growled and rumbled, telling her to shut up and gorge it with nommy, salted pork strips.

Regina shook her head once against her hand. "I like cooking for you." Her hand brushed Emma's bare thigh, fingertips sliding beneath Ruby's red basketball shorts she'd thieved as all of her clothes remain in Boston. Emma jerked, nearly toppling from the stool, and caught herself with stumbling backwards steps. Regina glanced over her shoulder and crossed to the freezer without comment.

Deplorable grease sticks retrieved, she carefully kept her back to Emma as she moved to the sink and turned hot water onto the frozen meat. Brown eyes watched the water splash and bounce. Steam rose within a minute, and Regina smiled when a different type of heat pressed against her back. Emma had to be only half an inch from her. She smirked.

"Miss Swan, we've had our fists inside each other. You needn't be shy. You may touch me whenever you please." Her tone remained light, almost disinterested, but her heart pounded in anticipation. She forced deep, even breaths through her nose and waited.

After at least a full minute, hesitant hands touched her waist. Regina had filled out again, fuller than the tiny amount of weight she'd gained in Salem. It was expected as she'd given birth 23 days ago, but the affect on Emma's body was completely unexpected. The bottom of her belly clenched, sending a flush into her chest. Regina was a woman, the woman, her woman, the mother of her children. Though she probably would, Emma never wanted her to lose the weight.

"Are you going to kiss me or pant against my neck all morning?" Regina poked as she turned in the hands on her waist. Emma came alive as swollen breasts suddenly filled her vision where the back of a teal silk nightshirt had previously been. Regina had apparently unbuttoned her shirt while she zoned out, revealing that she'd worn no bra to bed that night.

Green eyes jerked to brown. "I don't want to hurt you," she blurted and dropped her hands to her thighs in clenched fists. Regina grinned. She had Emma on the run and looked forward to the reward of chasing her down again.

She covered Emma's shaking hands with her own and guided them to her bare waist. If she were honest, her figure gave her pause, a moment of hesitation each time she'd been naked in front of Emma since giving birth. Emma's flushed chest and elevated breathing, however, stripped them away once again. Cool hands slid reverently over the full softness of her stomach, flushing Regina's own chest.

"Regina," she whispered and pulled her eyes from the tantalizing skin, bared for her viewing and touching pleasure. The woman attached to the name raised an eyebrow in question. "I want to kiss you."

Regina leaned forward until their lips were only an inch apart and said definitively, "Then kiss me." A puff of honey-scented breath heated her lips, and Emma snapped.

One hand pulled on Regina's hip and the other found purchase in black, shoulder-length tresses. A hint of honey and green tea slid over Emma's tongue when she possessed her lover's mouth completely. A gentle moan vibrated against her tongue, and she wasn't sure which of them caused the sensation.

Warm hands slipped beneath the hem of the tank top, over taut and defined ab muscles and rested atop hardened nipples. When Regina squeezed her breasts lightly, Emma jerked away violently and held her weight with white-knuckled hands on the counter behind her brazen lover. Her forehead dropped to the valley between Regina's abundant breasts as she panted and struggled for control.

Regina rubbed her tense back with one hand and scratched at the hairline on the nape of her neck with the other. Emma shivered with a tiny gasp, and Regina thought briefly that she might have been crying. "My eyes are changing colors. I can feel them," Emma explained and raised her head slowly.

Regina touched her face and pulled their lips together with gentle but persistent pressure on Emma's neck. It was brief and tender and loving. Emma relaxed into her bodily and reclaimed her curvaceous waist in the name of Emma Swan's addicted hands once more. Regina smiled into the kiss, and Emma pulled back enough to meet her eyes. Bright green stared back at her once more.

"You like the weight, don't you?" Regina asked rather than addressing the minor freak out and loss of control.

Emma's gaze dropped bashfully as she mumbled, "Is that weird?" Regina pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"You make me feel beautiful, Emma," she confessed against the heated skin. "You always have, even when we wanted to tear out each other's throats those first few months you were in Storybrooke. How do you think I discovered you like the Plum Purple lipstick?" She chuckled.

Emma groaned into her chest, "I really like that color. It makes me straight up stupid for you." Strong arms encircled a bare waist, and a warm, wet head pressed into neck and chest. "Is this okay? Just… just hugging?" Emma asked, slightly self-conscious.

Regina readjusted her cheek against the crown of her head and hummed contentedly. "It's perfect. Whatever you want is perfectly acceptable, Emma. If you want to hug me or hold my hand or hold me at night, I want you to know that I want those things, too. You don't have to ask. If you want more, well, I'm fairly observant. Just give me the go ahead, and I'll take care of you."

Regina's voice rumbled in the chest against her ear, and Emma's eyes slipped shut. Even without her memories, Regina's voice invaded her dreams. "You made sure that I didn't miss her," she whispered nonsensically. Regina's brow furrowed, and she craned her neck to study Emma's profile on her chest.

"Annabel. When you were pregnant with her, I mean. I felt her move. I made love to you with her in there. I did things like shave your legs and escort you everywhere in the snow. I saw her on the ultrasound. I heard her heartbeat. I wanted to be there every second, but," she raised her head and met Regina's glowing caramel gaze, "you didn't let me miss her. Thank you for that. I'm sorry that I was such an ass. I missed so much that I could have been here for."

Regina silenced her with three fingertips on her lips. "You didn't know, Darling. The amount matters not. You have those memories, and I'm blessed to have shared them with you, no matter how briefly. Pondering on what you missed will only drive you insane. Focus on what you do have. You were here when it mattered, Emma." Regina pulled her into a hug, face pressing into a damp neck.

"I died, Emma," she confessed, fear gripping her heart at the vulnerability in her voice. "I died. It didn't bother me before, but now the shock has passed and the drugs aren't dulling my mind. It never bothered me, the thought of dying, but there are people in my life who love me, who need me. It terrifies me." Emma pressed a kiss to her forehead and tightened her grip.

"I died in Neverland," came the quiet confession that made shocked and grieved brown eyes raise to stormy green.

Emma shrugged, "Pan's right hand revived me. My heart was useless to them dead, I guess. That machine used to extract magic. He turned it up all the way, turned it on and walked away. My heart gave out physically before it released any magic into the crystal."

Green flickered to violet and back again. Emma sucked a deep, steadying breath before continuing, "I still wouldn't take my heart out for him, not knowing you were on that godforsaken island." The voice was deadened, dissociated from the pain and the incredible mindfuck Pan put her through.

Regina nuzzled her forehead into Emma's neck. She knew Emma needed a response to the revelation, but the savior also needed to feel empowered at the moment, without the magic. "We can help each other through it, then. Have those particular nightmares begun? I've been having one where I've died, but no one has noticed. Ruby, Belle, everyone, they simply continue with their lives, raise Henry and Annabel. I'm there and watching everything unfold, but they don't see me or even notice that I'm gone." Regina shuddered, and Emma tightened her grip again.

"I can definitively say without a shred of doubt that I will never forget you, Regina Mills." The levity of her tone broke the tension, and Regina pulled back and wiped her tears with a tiny smile on her face.

She smacked Emma's chest lightly with the back of her hand. "Don't be a smart ass. I'll skin you," Regina threatened with a raised eyebrow.

Emma grinned. "You're sexy when you're pretending to be angry." Despite the swell of love and familiarity in the easy banter, Regina held the expression and crossed her arms over her chest. "Can bacon be my last meal?"

Regina rolled her eyes spun towards the sink again. She moved to the stove, tossed the bacon on the counter and buttoned her shirt. Emma whined like a puppy, and Regina huffed in amused irritation. "Miss Swan, as much as I love you, I will never love you enough to fry bacon while shirtless."

Emma retreated to the stool she'd vacated and shoved a whole cookie into her mouth. Regina grunted, ignoring the resulting cough of gagging when Emma tried to chew, and sliced into the pack of grease sticks that Emma and Ruby slobbered over and begged for each morning. How those two ate as much and poorly as they did and never gained a pound infuriated Belle and Regina to no end.

A thump upstairs followed by a faint, "Ruby Lucas!" pulled chuckles from both women.

Annabel chose that moment to mew into the monitor on the counter. Emma smiled genuinely at the sound and left the kitchen without direction. It only grew at the scene that awaited her in the living room. Between Emma coming downstairs and now, Alex had moved from the sofa with her stuffed wolf and blanket and joined Annabel on the cushioned blanket on the floor. Her tiny hand held the infant's, the little wolf choked in the crook of her other elbow. The kitten that terrorized Ruby daily curled around Alex's hair.

She tiptoed to the small table in the foyer and snagged the camera, pleased to find Regina still kept it there. After snapping several photos, she gingerly untangled the toddler from Annabel who surely started protesting the lack of food soon and woke her tiny friend and returned to the kitchen. She rock-bounced the girl and handed the camera to Regina to view.

"The only thing missing is Henry," Regina murmured, an unreadable expression on her face. It took Emma a moment to realize several conflicting emotions passed through her lover's dark eyes. Joy, contentment, that unexplainable "awww" when children do adorable things, but also grief and fear and helplessness.

Annabel mewed and flung her arm about, mouth already moving in a sucking motion in search of her mother's nipple. Emma handed her over to Regina who sat on the stool nearest the stove with her back carefully turned towards the popping grease. She grunted as the greedy infant latched onto her sensitive nipple and then relaxed into the deep pull of affection and baffling amazement.

Emma and the heady scent of bacon and the early hour all faded to the background. "You make it all worth it," Regina told the tiny girl and offered a thumb to the hand searching for a hold. She knew she'd said the words at least a dozen times now, but she felt inspired to utter them every single time Annabel's weight rested in her arms.

Emma flipped the bacon and allowed Regina a moment with their daughter. She'd not bonded with her as much as everyone else. First she recovered from surgery and then Emma jumped off the reservation. It was Regina's turn to simply enjoy the inexplicable comfort and terror of holding a baby in her arms, her baby that she carried for eight months. The terror occurred the moment one realized with all the subtlety of a club in the gut that this tiny little human relied solely on the adults in her life in order to live and thrive and survive.

She flipped the bacon and waited patiently. When Regina met her gaze with shimmering brown eyes and a throbbing vein in her forehead, Emma wrapped her arms around her partner, supporting the weight in her arms. Regina sighed as the aching pressure released. Annabel only weighed six pounds, but Regina hadn't quite regain her full strength from the pregnancy and disastrous birth.

She pressed a kiss into Regina's neck and then rested her chin on her shoulder as she watched the girl eat. She hummed, content for the first time in weeks. With the two most important girls in her life in her arms, Emma felt invincible and content. A moment of panic gripped her heart as she let go of the anger for that brief, perfect moment.

Regina felt the tension snap tight and pulled her back with a gentle, "Emma, you're okay." Emma nodded and squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she forced air into her lungs.

"Go flip your bacon before it burns," Regina urged gently, distracting her from the overwhelming anxiety in her chest. Regina assessed the situation perfectly. Like drug triggers, emotion triggers sent her into panic attacks instead of minor withdrawal episodes.

She obeyed Regina's directive, grateful for the distraction. After her heart returned to a normal rate and her hands shook from spent adrenaline, she glanced at her partner. Regina remained focused on their daughter, obviously giving Emma space to find her footing on the shifting sand beneath her. Her back and shoulders, however, coiled tightly with tension.

"I want to go see Amelia," Emma said quietly and leaned on the island to meet Regina's eyes. Regina hummed and nodded.

"She's been asking for you. She's completely refused medication. Eva and Dr. Grey gave her a couple nerve blockers, which to my understanding go directly into the surrounding nerves and numb the area, but they only last about 24 hours. Addison, Lauren, Belle, and Snow have been sitting with her. Eva wants to, but Amelia has as much grief as the rest of us. Ruby has gone a few times when no one else was available." Regina babbled for lack of anything else to say. Emma clearly ignored what just happened, leaving her scrambling for conversation.

Emma nodded, relieved that Amelia hadn't been left to suffer alone. "I should be there. Has she had surgery yet?"

Regina hummed. "She's had two, but Dr. Grey thinks she may need a third. She has sensation in her legs, but she's not able to move them yet. Ruby offered to make Rumpelstiltskin heal her, but she adamantly refuses unless the possibility of losing function in her legs becomes imminent."

Emma touched Regina's shoulder compassionately. Despite their rocky parting all those years ago, the potions mistress retained a special place in Regina's heart. She loved her, still. Regina tried to smile, offered a grimace, and turned her eyes back to Annabel.

"I'll take Annabel and go sit with her during Captain's funeral if that's okay. I promise not to disappear again," she added quickly.

Regina clicked her tongue against her teeth. "I trust you with our daughter, Emma. This house is not your prison. I've had the unfortunate experience of spousal imprisonment, and I shall never enact such a heinous barrier around our home."

Properly expressed and understood, Regina nodded once and continued, "That said, the air is far too cold for Annabel to be outside that long. If you want to be with Amelia, I'll drop you off before I go to the pier. Is that agreeable?" Regina raised her eyes without moving her head from the bowed position.

Emma's brow furrowed at the sincerity in Regina's words. She meant every single one. After everything she'd done, - hitting her and kidnapping their daughter and forcing Amelia to take her too deep into the darkness - Regina offered understanding and compassion instead of judgment and ire. It solidified Emma's determination to remain grounded and with her family.

"Do you forgive her?" She asked quite unexpectedly.

Regina sighed and paused so long that Emma thought she'd deny an answer. Then, "I never blamed her," broke the silence.

"After she trapped you in a fear scape thingy for weeks?" Emma searched for understanding. She'd been The Evil Queen at the time. She thrived on anger and blame and vengeance, yet she'd never felt any of those things towards Amelia from Regina's heart.

Regina sighed again and clutched her daughter just a little bit tighter. "Not all fears are external, Darling. I believed my soul destined for damnation. I banished Amelia because the fear scape forced me to realize that I loved her, that I could have loved her more deeply. She might have saved my soul if I allowed myself to feel those things completely. My fear and anger were stronger than my love, but I wasn't willing to take the chance so I removed the threat."

Silence encased them once more as they each mulled on the confession. Regina spoke first, "It took 28 years and the love of the heart of The Truest Believer to save my soul, Emma. The fact that you've begun that journey in less than a month speaks to your resilience and the redemption of my heart. There isn't only evil there anymore. It may not feel like it now, but be patient and let our love guide you home."

They locked eyes, allowing those words to settle around them. Regina was so Regina but different. She still had sass and a temper and a no-nonsense way of speaking, but she was softer, more compassionate, more open and giving with her emotions and experiences. Annabel detached from her breast for the second time, indicating her completely full belly and effectively disrupting the moment. Regina grinned and shook her head before kissing the girl's forehead and handing her to Emma.

"I'll make your eggs and save your bacon before it's charcoal," Regina barbed at her lack of finesse in the kitchen.

Emma rolled her eyes and hefted the tiny weight onto her shoulder, using a clean kitchen towel to protect her shoulder from any spit up messes. Regina watched mother and daughter for a moment before cracking three eggs into a bowl and whisking them expertly. Emma smiled excitedly when she dumped the slimy viscous liquid into the bacon grease.

Regina raised an eyebrow as if to dare her to comment. Emma bit her lip and presented her back to the other woman. No way was she ruining scrambled eggs made in bacon fat with her big mouth.


	36. The Power of Love

Thank you, My Doves, for your wonderful words of encouragement! I needed them for the last push into the home stretch. I'm estimating 1-3 more chapters and perhaps an epilogue.

Songs: Raise Your Glass by P!nk, Over the Hills and Far Away by Nightwish

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><p>Regina strolled with Emma through the hospital towards Amelia's room. She'd insisted on bring the Ipod deck, and Regina found herself insatiably curious as to how Emma handled the fact that people now looked upon her in fear as they had The Evil Queen once upon a time. Amelia's face brightened when Emma rounded the corner. Addison lowered her head and retreated towards the door, allowing Emma her spot.<p>

"For your viewing pleasure, one frakkin' adorable fruit of my loins," Emma announced and set Annabel's car seat on the wheeled table at her side. Amelia smiled and accepted the kiss pressed to her cheek happily.

"I was wondering when you'd get that magic stick out of your ass," Amelia joked, grateful for something other than condolences and grim expressions. She was a freaking neurosurgeon after all, she knew how serious her condition was and how quickly it all crumbled with one wrong move.

"How are you feeling, Amelia?" Regina asked with narrowed eyes at her lover as she set up the music player, hips already moving to an unheard beat. Having already stripped her winter gear, she looked funny in Ruby's almost black jeans and dark blue-green tank top.

"I'm, uh… what is she doing?" Amelia asked distractedly, much more interested in Emma's antics than answering the same question for the millionth time. She fucking hurt. Her back was broken. She had no pain killers. How the hell did they think she felt? Like shit. Shit that's been set on fire and stomped.

Regina withheld comment, not quite sure what Emma had planned. She glanced towards the door where a small crowd of staff had gathered. Did they expect Emma to use magic or jump Amelia again or run around with flaming hair while listening to Bach? The idiocy of the general populace never ceased to amaze her. Emma tossed her head back and forth as the same female rock star that woke them a few hours ago filled the room. Emma cranked the volume to a highly inappropriate level, and Amelia whooped, pumping her arms in the arm with much less enthusiasm than Emma. Regina claimed a seat and watched the show. It happened no matter how much she berated Emma, so she decided to enjoy it.

Emma sang the lyrics terribly and bounced around, drawing Regina attention lower than her whipping hair. Unfortunately, - or fortunately, depending on who you were - none of their bras fit Emma. She'd merely shrugged and said she didn't mind going without. Regina almost regretted that decision… almost.

Emma pointed at Amelia, locked gazes, and they both shouted the next line, "Why so serious?"

Amelia laughed for the first time since breaking her back as Emma flailed and waved her hands and tossed her head back and forth and jumped up and down as she yelled the lyrics. Regina raised an eyebrow at the mixed expressions outside the door and then resumed staring at Emma's bouncing breasts and immature abandon. She understood what she proved with the stunt. She owned everything she'd done in the eyes of the public, even if she felt shame and guilt and grief. Regina fell in love with her all over again.

She pointed the forefingers of both hands at Amelia and jerked her hips, shoulders, and head in time with the music. "Dirty little freaks!"

Amelia answered her, "So raise your glass if you are wrong in all the right ways. All my underdogs, we will never be, never be anything but loud and nitty gritty, dirty little freaks!"

A fourth body plowed into the room and joined Emma. It took a moment to recognize Lauren in black pumps, a skirt and blouse with makeup and perfectly fixed hair. Well, perfect until she copied Emma's silliness. Eva leaned against the door in a pristine pant suit and unbuttoned grey pea coat and watched her lover with appreciative and lovesick eyes. Amelia laughed harder and then winced with a wide smile plastered on her face.

The song ended, leaving a flushed and panting Emma grinning like a fool and tugging at tangled blonde hair. Regina smiled, uncaring what anyone thought of her or Emma in that moment. Emma's happiness made the shenanigans acceptable. Tears bit at her throat, and she swallowed them. Emma was coming home.

Her cell phone blared from her pocket, and Lauren turned down the music as Emma surprised them all by answering it.

"Hey Jane," she greeted and flopped into the chair by Amelia's bed. The doctor smiled when brown riding boots crossed at the ankle beside hip.

"Of course Felicia is flipping out. Look, I'm fine. Regina is fine. Our children are fine." She paused, listened, grinned wickedly. "What have I been doing? Well, I got a heart transplant, taught myself how to do magic, slept with another woman, participated in some wicked torture meant to break my soul, found out my daughter can use magic, killed the Wicked Witch of the West, and had bacon and chocolate chip cookies for breakfast." Emma laughed at something Jane said.

"Yes, in other words, another normal month in the life of Emma Swan. Look, I'm actually visiting a friend right now, but I wanted to let you know that everything is fine. You guys can stop calling and texting every ten minutes." Emma's face softened at something Jane said.

"Thanks, Jane. Talk to you soon." She ended the call and glanced around at the expectant eyes of her friends and family.

"The lack of bra was too much, wasn't it?" She deadpanned, not really wanting to delve into the darker reasons behind her behavior or the fact that she'd been ignoring her friends in Salem and Boston. Screw propriety. Their shit storm never ended, so why worry what anyone else thought? She meant to cheer Amelia up and succeeded. They undoubtedly came crying to them when catastrophe struck anyway.

Amelia snorted, "I don't think Regina's blushing cheeks minded."

Regina cleared her throat and stood, brushing imaginary wrinkles from the black dress reinstated from her vault. It was one of the more understated outfits she'd worn as queen, elegant and luscious rather than bitchy and empowering. It curved in a large dip just above her chest, or it did until her breasts grew. Now it presented her abundance of cleavage, accentuated defined collarbones, hugged her curves, and trailed the ground behind her with a small train. Emma struggled with the clasps as she helped her into it before Regina magically altered the size to accommodate her larger figure.

She felt ridiculous and self-conscious in the over-the-top get up until Emma ran her hands over the material and worshipped her neck and chest with kisses as her hands explored every single curvaceous centimeter of the dress with her inside of it. Now she felt sexy and in control and desired and beautiful. Emma was still Emma, no matter whose heart rested in her chest. It gave her strength to send her beloved Calvary Captain into the afterlife.

Lauren retreated to Eva's side, towering over the short surgeon in her heels, and accepted Eva's head against her chest as loving arms encircled her waist. Now that their relationship had been revealed, they simply embraced it without further explanation to the general public. They were happy, and screw the rest. They stepped back as one when a crowd of people trouped into Amelia's room. Katy, Snow, David, Granny, Henry, Belle, Ruby and Alex marched -or in David's case, rolled in his wheel chair - around the bed. Emma eyed the sudden crowd wearily and then retreated to Regina's side.

Emma stiffened when a muscular young woman with freckles, wind burned cheeks, and frizzy, blonde-brown hair pulled into a haphazard pony tail at the nape of her neck stepped forward and offered The Queen's salute to the couple. No one else appeared concerned or on high alert, so Emma withheld any defensive gestures and glanced between her lover and the girl she failed to recognize. "And who the hell are you?" She wrapped on arm around Regina's back and held her ribs with the other hand as if ready to take Regina to the ground in the event of a sudden attack.

Regina rubbed her forearm soothingly. "Emma, this is Katy, Captain's niece. She's been staying with Snow and David." She brushed tangled blonde hair from her lover's face as she spoke, and Emma relaxed as the potentiality of a threat passed.

"Stop that, Kid," Emma chided the girl. "The bowing stuff is creepy."

Katy raised her head, brazen defiance in her eyes. "The eloquence of The Queen's Savior is widely known. I'm pleased to finally meet her."

Emma's head jerked back at the deep and clear voice booming from budding Amazon warrior. Had she just been insulted or complimented? Before she responded, Katy bowed her head to Regina again. "The allotted mourning period has passed. I am prepared to assume the duties of Captain Marion Katherick as The Queen's servant as is the birthright and obligation as the only living blood relation."

Everyone shifted uncomfortably. Captain clearly raised the girl and educated her in ways of the old world. When a soldier fell, it was the responsibility of the family to provide a replacement. 13 years of conditioning wasn't undone in three short years in Storybrooke, especially not for a child. No wonder she resisted Snow's offer to house her until better arrangements were made. Her aunt fought in the war against Snow and David, hence the refusal until Regina ordered it. Regina pulled out of Emma's protective arms and cupped the girl's face with both hands.

"Katy, your sacrifice is honorable, but we don't live in that world anymore. I'm not The Queen here. I'm just Regina and prefer if you address me as such. You are, however, under my care now." She glanced between the three other adults living in her house and Henry who beamed up at her with pride. His expression solidified her decision.

"You're ours now, Katy. I know you are uncomfortable at Snow and David's, and though many would happily take you in, I cannot bare the thought of you living in a home where you are misunderstood and unaccepted." Regina smiled as the girl's eyes softened. She was still just a child, no matter how much bluster and bravado and clever insults at Emma she flung around. She was scared like any other 16-year-old orphan.

Katy shook her head, not yet believing her offer. "You closest guard fill your home. I cannot impose nor do I expect them to upturn their lives on my behalf."

Regina smiled. She was Captain in miniature form. "They'll learn to love it. Ruby's parents abandoned her. She was raised by her grandmother. Belle's family shunned her. Emma grew up an orphan, without a family. And my mother turned me into The Evil Queen. We understand what it means to be alone, and you, my dear, are not."

The girl's chin quivered, and she dropped her eyes as she steeled her features. "Would Aunt Marion have wanted this, Your Maje… Regina?" Her voice softened with her desire to belong somewhere again. The entire room blinked back or wiped at tears, even Emma.

It was The Savior surprisingly who stepped forward and answered the girl's question. "I think she didn't want you to be alone. That's why she raised you. If it helps you to look at it this way, think of it as our final thank you to Captain. She gave her life in our fight. We owe her." Emma spoke her language. She wasn't feeling particularly loving or compassionate as of late, but she understood honor and respect and duty. Katy used them as a shield right now to mask her grief and fear of her uncertain future.

Katy's spine straightened, and she nodded once at the blonde woman who understood her. "If I can further honor my aunt by my actions, I shall do so." One by one, she met the gaze of her four heroes. "I want to be useful. I will gladly assist at Commander French's library or Brigadier Lucas' diner. I am skilled as a warrior. I took my first life at age 12. I would be useful as a Sheriff's Deputy."

Emma grinned at the girl while everyone else glanced around at each other with shocked and confused expressions, unsure how to respond. Emma stepped up once more.

"Hey Tiny Cap, we can work out the details later once we get you moved in and figure out where to put everyone."

Henry apparently agreed because he skipped forward and tucked himself under Katy's arm. "I was tired of being the oldest kid. You're doing me a huge favor." His words tugged a smile to his mothers' lips. Whatever Granny was doing for the boy seemed to be working. He wasn't quite their Henry, but he was healing. Perhaps he simply needed the undivided attention of an adult who cared deeply for him, something he figured out long before they had.

Katy stared down at the boy with a blank expression. "I don't hug," she sniped and pulled her arm away. Henry reclaimed it and grinned like the cheeky little monkey they all knew and adored. There he was. Katy glared at the boy, snarled, and stalked out the door. Henry followed. This was going to be interesting.

"We got it," Snow offered and pushed David after the teens.

Ruby rubbed her face and groaned, "Want to reconsider buying that house now?" Belle snorted.

"Not on your life, Wolf." She poked her lover in the ribs and then turned to Regina. "We need to go or we'll be late." She scooped up her daughter and exited. Ruby shoved her hands into the front pockets of her slacks and followed beside Granny, resigned to her fate of eight people under the same roof, two of them teenagers.

Regina squeezed Amelia's hand and then kissed her daughter's forehead. Emma accepted the velvet clad body into her hands and hummed at the sensation. Regina pressed a chaste kiss to her lips and tangled her fingers into wild blonde hair. "I should be back in an hour or two. It's a long ceremony, and I'm certain I'll have to rely on Belle's big brain to remember all the prayers."

"I'm fine here. I got my order from your milk factory for Annabel. She'll be fine, and Amelia is the only person who hasn't looked at me like I'm nuts for blasting Pink, so I'll be fine." Emma kept the mood light, despite the heaviness of the day.

A smirk pulled at Regina's lips. "Please refrain from terrorizing the hospital staff further. You gave them quite a scare when you threatened them with a fireball." She chuckled and kissed Emma again. The confident hands rubbing her waist and the hint of chocolate and cinnamon on her tongue almost made Regina call the whole damn thing off. She needed Emma's touch, yearned for just one more second.

Eva cleared her throat. "I've seen her medical file. Miss Swan has already had her tonsils out." Regina grumbled at the interruption and pressed her forehead to her lover's.

"See you soon," Emma assured, wondering if Regina's hesitance spawned from a miniscule, unconscious fear in the back of her mind that she'd disappear again if left alone. "I'll be right here when you get back."

Regina nodded, pecked her lips one more time, and followed Lauren and Eva from the room. Emma slumped into the chair at Amelia's side and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes.

"They're too much to handle while going through magic withdrawal, aren't they?" Amelia tossed out casually. Emma answered with a long sigh puffed through her lips.

Amelia allowed the silence to linger. She had another six hours at least for her nerve blocker, but she'd not receive another until 24 hours after this one wore off. She was neurosurgeon after all. She understood the risks of poking nerves too often. Dr. Grey seemed knowledgeable enough, and she'd studied her own scans and agreed with her assessments and plans. But she had enough time for Emma to compose herself.

After ten minutes of quiet, Amelia turned on the television as a distraction. She grinned as the front end of an episode of "Supernatural" filled the screen. When the credits rolled and the "next time" teaser started, Emma spoke, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better."

"Emma," Amelia chided her with only the utterance of her name and extended her hand. "I knew the risks. I'd do it again even if I knew how it ended."

Emma accepted her offer and twined their fingers together. Silence blanketed the room. The surgical floor was always quiet, except when Emma fried bitches and blared music, apparently. Amelia squeezed her hand after a few minutes, gently pulling her back to reality.

"I'm not mad, Emma. I just worried that the Dark Dick is going to have to heal me. I know Ruby controls him now, as she should, but the thought of his hands on me turns my stomach." She touched the mentioned area, bringing corporeal truth to her statement. "I'm guessing Belle felt the same way if her arm is still in a cast."

Emma grunted. "I'm waiting for that girl to explode." Like the rest of them, Belle held everything inside. Usually, she dealt with it in her own time and in her own way, but Emma recognized denial when she saw it.

Amelia nodded. "She has no business in the magical world, just like me. What about you, Savior? How close to combustion did you come?"

"Heh, I think I might still be in danger of combusting," Emma answered honestly. "They all want something from me. Regina is being really patient, surprisingly so, actually. Well, you saw her. The old Regina would have ripped your spine out and beat you with it instead of breaking it for taking me so far in. I almost wish she'd lose it and yell and tell me exactly what she wants so I know how to act around her." Emma waved her free hand in frustration and then dropped it to her thigh within Ruby's jeans in defeat.

Amelia scoffed and shook her head against her pillow in disbelief. "You're an idiot." Emma glared in confusion and an anger only Amelia seemed capable of inspiring.

Amelia rolled her eyes and with a deep breath explained, "She's giving you the freedom to choose between her and the magic, just like you gave her. So, what's it going to be, idiot? Are you going to keep wallowing in your anger or are you going to let it go and make sweet, sweet love to the woman who gave you a child?"

Emma groaned and slouched further into the chair. "Can I just go to Mexico and decide later?" Amelia was right, but one spoke of the task far more easily than one committed to it.

"Can I come?" The injured woman begged, latching onto Emma's need to mull her question to death before coming to a conclusion.

"Sure!" Emma laughed. "Gotta keep up appearances of our sordid affair."

A faint boom from a distance brought Emma to her feet. Amelia held her hand tightly and brushed a soothing thumb over her spooked friend's. "Hey, it's probably just the pyre being lit."

Emma pulled free of her hand anyway and moved to the window. Her heart pounded, adrenaline preparing her body for fight. One steady finger lifted the closed blinds. Dark green magic shot straight into the sky away from town. A gigantic figure smashed into the cannery, sending splinters and hunks of beams flying. Emma grabbed the blinds and ripped them down.

"What the hell is that?" She pointed out the window.

"Ogre!" Belle's terrified voice answered her question.

Emma whipped around to find Alex, David, Ruby, Henry, Katy and Granny touching Belle's body. The witch stumbled forward and grabbed Emma's shoulders. "The time portal didn't close. When Regina summoned enough magic to set the whole ship on fire, it must have activated it somehow. I don't know the answers because none of it makes sense! It's open. We have to close it!"

"Zelena was her sister. They were connected through their blood. That's why the large dose of power finished opening it," Ruby supplied with a shaking voice.

Emma grabbed Belle's face in both hands. "Belle, connect with me like you did Regina. I can't… you can tap the magic without going insane. You just have to let go, right?" Belle nodded and slammed their lips together. Her body shuddered as they connected. Regina's darkness and Emma's believer blood slipped into her veins, and she pulled back with crackling violet eyes.

"Ruby?" Belle turned to her lover.

"Just go. If they come close to the hospital, Katy and I will get the kids to safety." She smashed their lips together. Ruby was scared. Really truly, in her bones terrified. It was bad. "I love you," she whined around tightness in her throat, shaking Emma to her core. It was really bad.

"I love you, too," Belle whispered, snagged Rumpelstiltskin's dagger from the sheath with fumbling fingers partly covered in a cast, and then they came apart as the librarian teleported them to the barn.

"How do we close it?" Emma whispered and watch another group of the huge, ugly creatures tear into the woods. Belle covered her face, clearly as scared as her lover.

"I don't know. I thought it was over. I didn't research the spell in depth. Maybe…" She raised her head with determined eyes. "The barrier spell I used to keep Pan's people out of Storybrooke. We can stop the influx even if we can't close it for the moment, just… grit your teeth and bear it. It requires a lot of magic. Luckily, I won't have to stay connected to it since this is heart magic, which means I will…" A sharp crack stopped the babble. Belle grabbed her face and stared up at Emma in shock.

"Stop talking and do the fucking spell. Regina is out there alone with these things," Emma seethed, eyes flickering green and purple.

Belle nodded wordlessly and held up her free hand, gripping Emma's painfully with the other. Magic surged through her veins and into Belle's hand. Blue eyes slipped shut in astute concentration as her brilliant mind focused on the task at hand, racing thoughts quieting for the moment. With a pop, a purple force field shimmered into place around the barn. It hit the magic beam shooting into the sky and disappeared.

Belle gritted her teeth and tried again, altering the spell to her will. The barrier encircled the barn again, and she broke the connection without closing the bubble on top. "If it can fly, it can escape, but it's the best we can do for now."

Without waiting for a response, Belle pulled them through space again. Their bodies puzzled together at the pier. Regina and Snow stood back to back, one firing bolts of magic and the other arrows. Both injured the beasts but only slowed them down enough for fleeing civilians to escape getting stomped or clobbered. Emma and Belle surged forward as one, and Emma thanked Belle's sensibility for wearing her boots today.

"Regina!" Emma called, and the elder witch's chest collapsed in relief.

Regina reached for Emma's other hand as they approached. "Belle, tap the earth, give it to me!" Regina ordered and then mumbled to herself.

Emma strained to hear the words and nearly lost her grip when she finally caught them over the chaos. "Relax. Just love. Just feel. Just love. Just love. Just believe." Regina's mantra tore at Emma; she'd finally figured out the secret to tapping her heart, something Emma hadn't fully comprehended.

With a steadying breath, Regina raised her head, blue sparkled in her eyes. Violet and yellow joined the swirl as she pulled on their collective powers.

"I love you, Emma," she whispered and fired a rainbow beam into an approaching ogre. It incinerated on the spot. Regina faltered, and Emma wrapped an arm around her waist, steadying her. She pulled Regina's back into her chest and held the witch tight.

"I love you, too, Regina," she returned into her ear. Magic flew from the mayor's hands, and two more ogres turned into charcoal.

"Emma, say it again!" Regina begged as she nearly lost her balance. Her body was unaccustomed to using magic. She barely used enough to call herself a witch while pregnant with Annabel, and now she had three heavily powerful and different types of energy surging through her veins.

"I love you!" Emma yelled and then cried out as Regina pulled more energy through her.

"Snow!" Belle caught the other woman's attention. She tossed the dagger onto the pavement at her feet. "Summon him. Make him help!" Snow snatched up the ornate knife apprehensively. There was a reason Ruby held the dagger. She despised magic as much as she hated Rumpelstiltskin and had no desire to use it or him for her own purposes.

Belle cried out as the distraction momentarily disrupted her connection with the earth's power and Regina tapped her own life force. With a steadying breath, she redirected the pull to the flood of natural energy spindling in her mind as quickly as Regina sucked it out.

"I love you, Regina," Emma whispered into her neck. Tears streamed down her face unabashedly, either from the confession or the excruciating role of conduit she'd been forced into, Belle never ascertained.

Another pulse of energy exploded. Suddenly, the dock quieted as the last ogre fell in a heaping crispy pile of burnt beast.

"The hospital," Belle gasped. "Snow, do what you can to keep people safe and quiet. We'll drive them out." Her sentence barely finished before she disappeared in a puff of Technicolor smoke.

They stumbled together as they reappeared in front of the hospital. Emma held them both up with strong arms, a wide stance, and gritted teeth. Only a second passed before Regina flung her hands towards two monsters tearing through the parking lot. Balance off-kilter, she relied on Emma to keep her upright. Sweat beaded and cooled on Emma's bare arms and the small of her back. Belle slumped into her side.

"You good?" Emma checked, not wanting to chi suck their friend again.

"She's taking it as fast as I can spindle it. Tell her to slow down or I'm not going to be useful for much longer." Belle confided through clenched teeth.

"Regina, slow down," Emma whispered into her ear. "You're taking Belle's magic too fast."

Regina flung another pulse across the parking lot, defending their family's stronghold. "I can't. There are too many of them, and I don't know how to tap your stupid heart!" Another ogre turned to ash, and Belle cried out.

"Tell me you're afraid," Emma urged, praying to whatever deity listened that her plan worked.

"I'm afraid," Regina whispered, nearly choking on the words. Emma thought back to Amelia's guidance into darkness.

"What are you afraid of? Answer honestly, the answer in your heart." Emma demanded and squeezed her eyes shut as Belle cried out again. Once more, and she determined to get severely pissed off and dust these bloody creatures to hell.

"Losing my family! Losing you! I'm so damn scared that you'll never come back to me, Emma. I love you so much that it hurts to be physically separated from you, and I'm terrified that you're going to kill your stupid self in an attempt to fall on your sword gracefully rather than live a dishonorable life."

Emma felt the tingle of pure magic on the back of her neck, her magic, the magic of her heart. "What else, Regina?" She asked after her partner took out another ogre.

"I'm scared that Annabel will grow up without knowing you. I'm afraid Henry is too scarred to recover. I'm scared of being alone, especially now that I know what it feels like to have a family. I'm scared and heartbroken that Amelia may never walk again. I'm scared that Ruby and Belle won't work out the problems that I had a hand in creating." Tears stole her words and dripped shamelessly down her face.

"I need you!" She yelled in a hollow, broken sob. A wail of fury followed, and Emma dropped Belle to the ground and steadied Regina with both arms.

A different type of fear gripped her guts, and Emma breathed through the minor panic attack electrocuting her heart into hyper drive. "I choose you, Regina. I choose our family. I don't care how long it takes. I'll beat the magic and anger, just like I beat heroin. I love you. I need you, too." Emma surfaced her fears and now offered Regina the love so desperately craved.

Neon blue streaks flew from Regina's hands in all directions, the sparkling, tangible evidence of their unbreakable bond. A pulse of magic exploded, shooting from them in a rippling ring of True Love. Belle gasped as the brief spark of the magic of The Truest Believer swelled in her chest once more and then trickled away.

Emma and Regina collapsed to the cold pavement beside them. Emma held her gasping soul mate against her chest and ducked her head into Regina's hair. They sobbed together, hushed whispers not meant for her ears sliding into the paper-thin space between the broken lovers.

Belle lay on her back, allowing the wetness to cool her overheated brain and body. She fished her cell phone from her pocket with limp, shaking fingers and dialed Snow. The woman picked up on the first ring.

"I was just calling you. They're gone. All of them. There was this pulse of blue magic and then they just disappeared." Snow's excited voice trilled into her ear. Belle grunted.

"We're fine," she said and then ended the call while Snow's indistinguishable words continued flowing into the ear piece. Is that what she sounded like before Emma had coffee? She made a mental note to apologize as her hand fell numb to her heaving stomach.

"Belle!" Ruby's wavering voice cried from the front doors, and she winced. Phone abandoned on her stomach, her hand covered her eyes, pressing her temples with her middle finger and thumb. The slimy, unbreakable fingers of a migraine slid around her brain, and any sound scraped the inside of her skull.

A soft hand touched her arm and wrapped around her ribs, but Ruby recognized the agony she often saw on her lover's features. "What the hell happened?" She directed the question to her friends, keeping her voice as quiet as possible.

"Emma's magic went all pulse-y. Amelia screamed and then started moving her legs. Are they gone?" The words flowed faster than the other two women drank them, and Ruby received dumb stares.

"They're gone," Belle confirmed tearfully. She wasn't certain if the throbbing in her head caused them or if Ruby's very welcomed presence broke the emotional damn she'd been holding back since that first ogre barreled onto the pier. Either way, she reached for her lover, and Ruby pulled her up eagerly, wrapping her in a tight embrace.

Emma touched Belle's shoulder in a show of support. Ruby took Regina's proffered hand. Once again, they'd emerged on the right side of hell victorious. Though Ruby hadn't directly participated in the fight, she offered herself as the last line of defense for their family. That made her a hero to them.

As people slowly filtered outside, The Four Heroines of Storybrooke clung to each other and cried. Tears of joy. Tears of pain. Tears of grief. Tears of hope. Tears of belief.

Belief that tethered them to reality. Belief in themselves individually. Belief in each other and their unique unbreakable bonds. Belief in the power of love.


	37. We Suck at Talking

So, I've had a request for ten chapters of love and smut. What do you guys and gals think?

You folks may get your wishes for more story anyway. My university just screwed me out of a 5k per semester scholarship/work award, effective immediately with their new policies and bull crap. Time to go back to one or two classes at a time, I suppose, since I can no longer use my exquisitely developed biceps and no nonsense stage managing skills to help build sets and run shows for pay. Yes, I have a frakkin' degree and professional experience, which is why I've been receiving so much money. I do three times the work because I T/A the mentoring program for new students in addition to ATD and resident SM. I've fought all I can to get it back, but with a new president and administration comes a lot of cock-waving. How I'd love to chop it off and roast it over a fire.

Enjoy!

Songs: My Girl by The Temptations (Totally weird that this is the song that inspired this chapter… you'll see when you get there.)

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><p><em><strong>1 Month Later<strong>_

A soft hand rubbed Emma's bare stomach, familiar fingers tracing the bumpy lines of the scar above her naval. She hummed, and readjusted her head slightly, content to allow the gentle ministrations to continue as long as she was granted a stay of moving from the cocoon of Regina Mills-soon-to-be-Swan plastered against her back. Hot lips pressed to the back of her neck, and the hand moved south. Air hissed into the quiet room when mischievous fingers cupped the sensitive flesh between her naked legs.

Emma groaned without opening her eyes, smiling as last night returned to her. "If your name is Destiny, Hot Cocoa, or Strawberry Glitter, you need to climb out the window before my fiancée finds you. I'm getting married today."

A throaty chuckled vibrated against her back as Ruby and Belle's joint bachelorette party gift flooded into their minds. "I thought the one with pink lips destined to die at Granny's crossbow when she grabbed her ass," Regina snorted and nibbled Emma's shoulder blade.

"Mmm, Strawberry," Emma moaned, and Regina swatted her stomach. Emma chuckled and readjusted her head.

Regina laughed and pressed her forehead against Emma's spine. "She really had a thing for Granny," Regina mumbled. Emma laughed outright and nodded.

"Should we be scared that Belle has discovered a new fascination for exotic dancing?" Emma pondered aloud. Images of Destiny, the one with the leather dominatrix-like outfit, teaching Belle how to give a proper lap dance flashed into her brain. "I thought Ruby was going to rip off both of their clothes and have a threesome right there in the middle of the diner. Belle is so mean to that silly wolf during moon week that I almost think she has a death wish sometimes."

Regina laughed, a deep rumbling sound that slid down Emma's spine and settled into a slow burn in the pit of her stomach. "What a way to go," she joked, completely unaware of her affect her lover's body.

Emma swallowed thickly, eyes cracking as the heat beneath the blanket suddenly became uncomfortable. The clock on the nightstand glared at her, and she glared back when she realized it was just after five in the morning. They'd only been asleep for two hours after a marathon of lovemaking, but their bodies grew accustomed to the earlier hour. Annabel, however, stayed with Eva and Lauren last night, along with Henry, Alex and Katy, so there wasn't reason to get up at her regular feeding time. The women were invited, but Eva's inability to touch anyone inspired the counteroffer of babysitting. Lauren refused to go without her lover.

Regina hummed against her spine between her shoulder blades, and Emma nearly jumped out of bed. "I've been waiting nearly 50 years for this day," she whispered, fanning the slow-burning embers beneath her lover's skin into flames.

"No regrets?" Emma asked the question lightly, but an undertow of doubt and insecurity wavered in her voice.

Regina's arm tightened around her stomach. "Not one, especially not last night," Regina added and pressed open mouth kisses into Emma's back. The tip of her tongue left wet spots across the skin. Emma shivered, goose flesh tearing so quickly down her arms that it tingled painfully.

Between Emma's anger issues and Regina's recovery, they'd only managed to make love for the first time the previous night since Annabel's birth. Regina pleasured her freely whenever Emma asked or hinted with her behavior, and she gladly returned the favor when Addison released Regina for gentle penetration. Emma, however, stopped them when she felt out of control, the fear of hurting her lover far greater than her arousal. Last night changed that. Last night, as the reality of their pending nuptials settled into her heart at the party, they barely reached their room before succumbing to their passion. They'd created a trail of bread crumbs of coats and shirts and scarves and bras from the foyer to the balcony.

Emma moan when a warm hand squeezed her breast and twisted her body in the embrace until her front flushed with her lover's. Regina's enlarged breasts pressed into hers, and Emma's hips jerked in anticipation. God how she desired this woman. Regina grinned at the other woman's reaction to being pressed against her and claimed her lips in the name of Regina. A moan vibrated Emma's throat, and her hand slid down the luscious waist of her soon-to-be-wife and pulled their hips together. Regina wrapped her heel around the back of Emma's knee and straddled her thigh.

Regina whiplashed suddenly and pushed her shoulders. Emma blinked stupidly. "After last night, Darling, we need to shower before this continues."

Emma shook her head and captured Regina's lips again. "Won't go down," she mumbled against her lover's mouth. Regina pushed her back again and covered Emma's tantalizing lips with her hand.

A devilish glint sparkled in caramel eyes as a smirk pulled at one side of Regina's mouth. "You're going down until I beg you to stop, and then you're going to make me cum just… One. Last. Time… Before you give in to my pleas." Emma's eyes widened, and she swallowed involuntarily as unadulterated lust and primal passion sensitized every nerve ending her body painfully.

Heat and pressure pulsed between her legs, and a whimper actually whined in her nose and the back of her throat when Regina rolled away and disappeared into the bathroom. Now that Regina recovered and figured out how to handle her heart, her raw sensuality and sexual prowess had returned that first night Emma pleasured her the day of her blessing from Dr. Montgomery. It simply lacked the insecurity and fear and pain that accompanied Regina's hyper sex drive before the heart swap, and Emma determined to enjoy every single second before they switched it back later this afternoon.

Emma followed when water hit porcelain. Her foot snagged in the comforter in the haste of the moment, and she hopped on one foot, miraculously staying upright as she stumbled towards the bathroom. Regina raised an amused eyebrow and stepped into the smaller walk in shower. Emma swallowed the lump in her throat, cursed at the knot in her belly, and followed, sliding the door shut behind her.

The cleaning ritual began innocently enough. They took turns scratching shampoo and conditioner into each other's hair, stealing sweet kisses in between and pressing lips to wet shoulders and throats. Regina squeezed a copious amount of body wash onto the soft cloth as Emma finished rinsing her soapy hair and worked it into a lather.

Emma's chest vibrated with a low rumble when the slick soap slid down the skin between her breasts and stopped just below her belly button. Regina's mouth opened into a panting smirk as she watched every single tendril of arousal flicker in her lover's eyes. Her hand ascended the taut stomach before her, slowed as it passed over a dusty pink nipple standing at attention, and continued to an ornately defined collarbone and pale neck.

She switched hands in the center of Emma's chest and lavished the same attention on the other side of the panting woman's body in reverse. Adrenaline throbbed between Emma's legs and tingled into her stomach as high as her ribs. A sharp gasp echoed off porcelain when the slippery cloth plunged suddenly between her legs.

Hands grabbed Regina's shoulders for balance. The fabric scratched deliciously against her engorged, hypersensitive clit as Regina's thumb circled it atop the barrier. Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's neck and pressed her face into wet, black hair. She whimpered when the cloth fell away and one finger teased her entrance.

"Please, Regina," she begged in a harsh whisper. Regina had only made her beg a couple of times since the day she'd first come home from the hospital, but this morning felt like a repeat of that incident. Velvet walls clenched, squeezing hot liquid onto her thigh with the thought.

Two fingers barely slipped into her, and Emma bit her forearm as her hips jerked, revealing just how worked up her body became during their shower. "Please, Baby. Fuck me."

Regina grinned and thrust upward without warning. Emma cried out, fingers digging into her shoulder blades. Her hand stilled, buried to the knuckle inside Emma. The blonde panted, held her breath, released it. Her hips twitched and rolled, searching for more stimulation. Regina's grin grew into a smirk as she denied Emma what she clearly wanted. With a murderously slow and calculated pace, the fingers withdrew until only the tips remained inside.

"I haven't properly bathed," Regina whispered into her trembling lover's ear.

Emma whimpered, "Please, Regina." Regina held steadfast, and Emma puffed in frustration when the fingers disappeared completely.

She knelt on shaking legs and retrieved the wash cloth. She almost stood, but when she looked up into Regina's down turned face, smoky desire and heady intoxication filled her lover's eyes from the submissive position. Emma knelt on both knees and raised to her full height, which brought her eye level with Regina's belly, never once breaking eye contact. More and more, Emma realized with her heart beating in Regina's chest, the dark woman's deepest desires surface more easily. Secretly, she loved being in control, dominating, being served… being The Queen of their bedroom. Sure, now she cried afterwards and gave into an uncontrollable urge to snuggle, but Regina was still Regina.

"Does it please you when I'm on my knees, Your Majesty?" Emma whispered, thinking she should have felt self-conscious or silly for asking the question. She only felt aroused. Regina's heart resisted, but Emma's mind wanted this, wanted nothing more than to fulfill every possible desire and whim of the woman who mastered her, to let go of all responsibility and focus on one solitary task. Pleasing her lover, her soul mate, the mother of her children, her mistress.

Regina's eyes slipped shut, body shivering as the words seeped into her bones. "Don't, Emma," she whispered and forced her eyes open again. "You may not like the person you uncover when I get my heart back." Blood pounded with the thought of Emma willingly submitting herself, living only to please her even if just for an hour or two. Her stomach clenched as it reminded her brain how much Emma was capable of physically withstanding and she released a shuddering breath.

Emma digested the warning with only a sliver of apprehension born from the anxiety of revealing her darkest desires and venturing into new territory. With a steadying breath, she pushed forward, "I need this. My life has spun so far out of control. I need to let go, let someone else have control of it every now and then. I need you to do that for me today. When we exchange hearts, my guilt and pain and nightmares are going to get ten times worse than they already are without the anger to dull everything."

She pressed her forehead into Regina's stomach and held her hips reverently, like a lifeline. "I trust you, Regina, and I think you need this, too. You've been living in fear for so long. Of people taking advantage of you or losing your family due to circumstances outside your control. You love using magic but live in constant fear of it taking over your life again."

She raised her eyes to Regina's, finding understanding and desire swirling in those soulful brown eyes. "I know what that feels like now. I loved learning your magic, and I live in constant fear of being controlled by it again." She pressed her face into Regina's stomach and sighed, shoulders moving under the force of the gesture.

"I don't want it every time, but sometimes… sometimes, I think…" She never finished her thought, halted by Regina's deep, rumbling command.

"Pick up the wash cloth." Emma obeyed immediately and reapplied the body wash without being told.

She washed Regina's feet first and then worked her way slowly up each leg. Regina simply stared down at her, mouth open, chest rising and falling with labored breaths. Steam billowed from the spray beating against Emma's shoulders, wafting the scent of lavender and vanilla into the bathroom. Regina inhaled the scent deeply, head falling between her shoulder blades when the cloth finally made contact with her throbbing center.

Hands slid into wet blonde hair. Emma resisted the pressure slightly, choosing instead to test the limits of their game as she continue to gently clean and lavish attention on her partner's scorching skin. Fingers tugged at her hair, and Regina growl as her head pulled the opposite direction. Emma met dangerously dark brown eyes and swallowed thickly.

The cloth fell to the tile with _snick-thump_ and Emma set back on her heels, allowing the spray to rinse the soap. Persistent pressure on the back of her head brought her forward. She resisted an inch from what Regina most wanted. Three fingertips snapped against her jaw. Emma grinned into the delicious sting and nearly came on the spot when the hand still on the back of her head jerked her face upwards with a sharp tug on her hair.

"Now," Regina ordered. Emma raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want, Your Majesty?" Emma knew she played with fire, knew she poked at a side of Regina normally hidden from the world, her included. But damn she wanted that side to come out and play so fucking badly in that moment.

Regina only grinned wickedly, however. Emma fell forward suddenly when Regina jerked her towards the seat in the corner of the shower large enough for both of them. She barely caught herself on her hands and came face to crotch with Regina. She spread her legs, propping a heel on the bench and leaning back against the wall.

Regina pulled one more time, catching Emma off guard. Two moans joined the steam when her face slid into Regina's slick lower lips. "Fuck me with your tongue, Savior," Regina ordered. Emma delivered.

A tentative swipe tightened that fingers in her hair once more. Regina lowered her calf across Emma's shoulders, holding her in place, as the subservient woman spread her open. A grinned tugged at her lips from the resulting gasp when she teased her entrance with the tip of her tongue.

"Inside," Regina commanded. Emma stiffened her tongue and plunged into the tangy velvet muscles.

Regina gasped, eyes slamming shut. The hot wet muscle glided through her clenching sex easily, pulsing tendrils of adrenaline and pleasure into her fingertips. Pressure bubbled in her belly. Emma inserted her tongue until her chin pressed uncomfortably against her lover and flicked the tip up and down. Regina inhaled sharply, hand slapping the smooth wall in search of a hold.

With a swell of pride, she continued the motion and rubbed her nose across the bundle of nerves above her lover's slit. Regina's flailing hand grabbed her own breast and squeezed gently. A high pitched escaped her throat, and Emma grinned. She loved pleasing Regina and knew she'd love it even more when she reclaimed her own heart. A sharp crack against her cheekbone stole the expression.

"Stop smiling," Regina ordered, and Emma glanced up to find her eyes still shut tightly. She'd felt it. Emma almost grinned again but clamped down on it at the last second by pulling out to the tip of her tongue before plunging in again.

Regina cried out, and Emma glanced up her body. Chest and neck flushed with passion. Mouth opened in a silent but continuous pant. The muscles between her own legs clenched, bringing closer to her own orgasm simply from observing the evidence of Regina's ecstasy. It revitalized her efforts.

Regina's head thumped into the wall at the renewed efforts of her lover's hot tongue lashing her velvet muscles. A burning tingle curled her stomach muscles into a ball and shot up her spine. Frantic hands grabbed either side of a blonde head and held it in place as her hips rolled forcefully into the face and tongue between her legs. Emma stilled and allowed Regina to tip over that precipice of her own volition.

After a few seconds, "Fuck!" echoed off the white porcelain, and Regina stilled. Suddenly, air whooshed from her lungs, and her chest rose and fell with the effort of supplying oxygen to her deprived limbs and brain.

Dark eyes met hazy green, and Regina smiled and tugged on Emma's face, still with firm but gentler hands. Emma raised onto her knees and covered Regina's heated body with her own, meeting at the top for a slow, sensual kiss. Regina hummed and pulled back slightly.

Emma thought the kiss over. Her hips jerked against Regina's when her lover sucked around her mouth with satisfied but throaty hums. She cleaned herself from Emma's cheeks and chin. The iron hand of orgasm gripped inside of Emma, taking her right up to that edge and dangling her over the chasm. She braced her arms on either side of Regina, raised onto her feet and rubbed her clit against the smooth skin between Regina's legs. A harsh gasp rasped from the back of her throat as the delicious friction took her a little bit closer.

Steady fingers gripped her neck in a lightening fast strike, and Emma stilled. "Not yet. Not until I say so," a deep, rasping voice thwarted her pleasure while at the same time making the ache deeper inside. She was so close.

"Please," Emma begged shamelessly. She was so close. "Please, My Queen." Rough hands shoved her away, and Emma nearly lost her footing in the shower, catching herself on the top of the door with one hand.

"No," Regina answered, turned off the shower, and brushed past her. "Follow." Emma obeyed silently, resisting the urge to squeeze her thighs together with each step.

"On the bed. Lay down on your back," Regina commanded. Again, she obeyed without thought. It felt good. It felt good not to think, not to worry, not to focus on anything but the will of the woman commanding her. She settled onto the middle of the bed sideways, arms limp at her side, stomach muscles clenching.

"If at any point, you wish to stop, simply say stop for today," Regina said as she straddle her hips. Emma whimpered into the heat and pressure and bit her lip. Despite the valiant effort, she barely missed stopping her hips before they rolled upwards into Regina's.

She bit harder when the pressure swelled painfully. Regina simply smirked, raised an eyebrow, and scratched nails between her breasts. Tiny red welts erupted, and Emma cried out as her hips bucked again. Regina clicked her tongue.

"Please!" Emma begged. "Please, Regina. Please. It's too much… please, I need to." Tears burned the back of her eyes as the truth behind that statement slammed into her chest. She needed Regina to touch her, but at the same time, the new game they played offered far too much emotional respite to end it now.

She sobered. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Emma apologized quickly and forced her eyes open. One side of Regina's mouth pulled into a smirk as she watched Emma regain control.

After a few seconds of heated staring, Emma averted her gaze, and the smirk grew into a grin. Regina walked on her knees and then sat on Emma's chest. The blonde's nostrils flared as she inhaled the heady scent of Regina's arousal only inches from her face. Her mouth parted with heavy breaths when Regina positioned herself directly over her face.

"Lick my pussy, Emma," Regina ordered, a swell of pride in her voice that Emma actually waited.

She learned fast for someone so inexperienced with this type of sex. She'd had plenty while she reigned as The Evil Queen, but she'd never done it with someone she truly loved. She hadn't known the concept of stopping or a safe word. She took what she wanted and to hell with her partner's safety or comfort. This was different. This was Emma. It worried her slightly, made her commands more meaningful, burned adrenaline in her veins much faster. Emma was right. She needed this, too, needed to feel in control of her life.

"I love you," she whispered suddenly and touched Emma's face as she raised it towards her dripping slit. Emma paused momentarily, brow furrowed, and then ran her tongue through slippery folds.

Regina smiled and readjusted her height, allowing Emma to save strain to her neck muscles. Emma hummed and sucked the engorged bundle of nerves into her mouth, sucking greedily. Regina grabbed her breasts again and rolled her hips gently against her lover's face. Firm hands grabbed her ass cheeks, and Regina glared down at her lover. Without provocation, she dropped her full weight to Emma's face. A flash of panic exploded behind Emma's eyes and then faded. She dropped her hands to the bed and tucked them beneath her back.

"Very good," Regina encouraged and raised the pressure from her lover's face. Emma gasped, breathed deeply a few times and then lavished her clit with attention.

Regina hummed and rolled against Emma's face. Her head tipped back and she pulled at her nipples, still sore and sensitive from nursing. Heat burned her cheeks, stomach clenching painfully from arousal and underused muscles. She couldn't wait to get back into shape if Emma truly wanted to develop this further than today. The hot muscle slurped at her hole, killing her thoughts.

Thighs quivered and burned as Emma took her higher. One hand slid down her stomach and teased her clit. Tingling tendrils of adrenaline clenched her muscles, pulling them further into her stomach and painfully away from the stimulation. Her chin dropped to her heaving chest, her enlarged breasts touching her lips with each heave of her chest.

Pressure built. Panic rose. Sweat cooled on her skin, reheated almost instantly. Ears burned under the flush of adrenaline. Emma lapped at her entrance relentlessly, sensing the pending explosion. The tongue flicked one more time and then plunged inside of her wiggling and stroking as she buried it to the chin.

Regina cried out, fell forward onto her hands. Her hips rolled into Emma forcefully as she forgot to be gentle. Emma bit down on her resolve and took the punishment in the form of lack of oxygen. Her tongue never slowed despite the ache in her jaw. Regina had given her an order, and she intended to please her lover to the best of her ability.

"Emma," Regina whispered, panted, prayed. "Emma." Over and over. By the gods how she'd longed to share this side of herself with her lover. She'd come close in Salem, but Pan destroyed that. Now, she ground harder into that beautiful face and let go.

The bomb exploded in the pit of Regina's belly. She cried out, slumped to her forearms and pressed her face into the bed, hands covering her wet hair. Emma choked momentarily and then swallowed. There wasn't an escape for the torrent of hot, tangy liquid squirting from Regina. Once out of danger of drowning, Emma slid her tongue into Regina once more.

With a swell of pride on Emma's part, Regina cried out, trembled on spent and shaking muscles, and rolled away. "No more, Emma." She flopped onto her back and tossed an arm over her eyes.

Emma watched her breasts bounce with the rapid movement of her chest and grinned wickedly. Regina jerked her arm from her face when she felt Emma settled between her knees. "I said no more, Emma," she clipped, still clenching and roiling from the remnants of her last orgasm.

"You told me to go down until you begged me to stop and then make you come one more time, Your Majesty. I know how to follow orders," Emma reminded her with a hint of satisfaction when Regina's eyes flew open wide.

Emma wrapped her arms beneath Regina's thighs and then clasped the prone woman's wrists, holding them against the bed. Regina gasped at the sudden aggression. Emma took her time, cleaned her tenderly of the liquid on her thighs and the area surrounding that still throbbed and clenched. Regina growled.

"Now, Emma," she ordered as her heart calmed and her body cooled under the gentle ministrations. Emma grinned up at her and sucked the distended clit in front of her face into her mouth.

Regina gasped and pulled at her hands. Emma held tight and moved a flat tongue over her lover's slit and nub in long, patient strokes. Regina was still recovering from her last orgasm. She was close, her muscles still clenching beneath her belly. She moved her entire head at the task, jaw too cramped to simply move her tongue. Pressure ignited under Regina's already expanded bubble of painful pleasure between her legs. Emma Swan meant to kill her on their wedding day.

Panic swelled in Regina's chest. She'd let go so much already. Could she really give herself to Emma one more time? "I can't!" She cried out. Emma ignored her cries and rubbed the flat, hot muscle against her clit.

Stomach muscles grabbed and jerked. Tears sprang into Regina's eyes and dripped onto her cheeks. "Emma," she said, meaning to ask her to stop. "Emma." Her voice raised an octave. Heat flushed her chest and cheeks, burning hotly, sizzling against her cool damp hair as her neck jerked from side to side.

Her back arched from the bed as she came undone for the third time. Liters and muscles popping from her neck, breath caught in her chest. Her hands pulled at Emma's wrists involuntarily, using them for leverage to hold the position as her stomach muscles curled around themselves and twisted into knots.

Without warning or preamble, she collapsed onto the bed, gasping and choking on the tears catching in her throat. Emma released her hands quickly, and she grabbed at her chest, quite unaware of her actions. Shuddering sobs broke free, and Emma slid up her side. Heat rolled from Regina's writhing body in waves. Emma wrapped a hand around her ribs, and Regina cried out again as another ripple of pleasure tore at her insides. Pure adrenaline shot it her heart, and she felt certain that it was going to give out any second and send her into cardiac arrest.

"I love you, too," Emma whispered. Regina's eyes flew open, and Emma grunted as she suddenly found herself staring at the ceiling.

"Cum for me," Regina hissed into her ear. Emma nearly did, right on the spot, when three fingers slid into her slippery and oh so ready velvet cave.

Regina took her mercilessly, and within a minute she clenched around those talented fingers. Regina paused, counted to ten in her head. Emma gasped when Regina filled her again. The thrusts were slower but forceful, dominating. Emma squirmed as her second orgasm stared her in the face. Sweat popped between her breasts, splotches of red hot heat flowered on her rapidly rising and falling chest.

Tingles of electricity followed adrenaline and pleasure through her veins. Her stomach clenched, thighs jerking in the effort of remained spread. A thumb found her clit, and Emma muffled a string of curses by covering her mouth. Regina smirked at Emma's jumping and twitching leg and locked away this exact spot for later use, praying she remembered.

Emma bucked against her once, gasped harshly. Muscles hugged her fingers like a ship in water, completely stilling their movement. Heat exploded behind Emma's eyes, and her hands fell limp on either side of her head. Regina watched her lover come undone with fascination. Green eyes blinked dumbly at the ceiling, unseeing. Her breasts moved up and down, slowing with each breath, as Emma acclimated to reality once more. She was beautiful in her flushed, sweaty, mute state. The expression on her face resembled something close to peaceful.

Regina smiled lightly and collapsed onto the bed beside her spent lover, giving her shaking muscles the reprieve they'd been denied. Emma slung her hand towards her hip, and Regina covered it with her own, hearing her savior's silent request. She, too, stared up at the ceiling as her body cooled. Time passed in a haze, as though it may have stopped for foolish lovers.

When the first ray of light peeped around the thick blinds over the window, Emma spoke, "Thank you."

Regina propped her head on her arm and turned it towards Emma's still clear and blissful face. "Whatever for, Darling?" Emma never thanked her for sex, not even the past few weeks when it'd been one-sided. The sudden expressed gratitude unnerved Regina in a good way.

"For that, for… taking control," Emma whispered. She swallowed the tears threatening to steal her voice and maintained eye contact with the ceiling.

"Everyone is constantly wanting something from me. Some days when it's really bad I feel like I just want to leave Annabel up here in her crib and ignore her all day. I totally went off on Henry and Katy for arguing the other day, like way over-the-top off. I'm sure you noticed the tension. They bug the piss out of me. I just want to slap them both sometimes and lock them in a closet." Emma sighed and closed her eyes, swallowed again. Regina waited. Emma was finally opening up, and any comment might have cut the line and sent her skittering for the safety of her emotional dungeon.

"I'd never hurt my children," she confessed what Regina already knew. "I swear to god if Ruby and Belle wake me up one more time with a fucking argument, I'm going to slit their throats. I know they're having problems right now, but damn it… it's so hard to sleep. Between Annabel and the nightmares and my general racing thoughts, I'm not sure I'll ever not feel tired again." Emma swallowed again and opened her eyes.

"Everyone makes me feel bad that I don't feel better, except maybe Amelia. She just sort of lets me sit there in silence. She doesn't expect anything, you know. I'm sorry that I feel that way about you sometimes. I know you need things from me and I want to give them to you, but sometimes I just can't. It's too much." Emma huffed a sigh, and tears trickled onto her face, making a beeline for her ear. She let them fall, and so did Regina despite the ache in her fingers to wipe them away.

"It's not just your heart, Regina, or the anger," she confessed and sniffed, accepting the fact that Regina knew she cried.

"I have nightmares about Pan and that fucking island and bizarre psychopath Belle that we never knew existed until all that crap. I mean, she's so fucking calm all the time and is obsessed with pain. Are we sure she's sane? Is she going to be the next big threat that tries to rip our family apart?" Regina's brow furrowed, and she worried her lower lip to keep from speaking.

Emma sniffed and continued, "I know those are completely irrational thoughts. She's as fucked up as the rest of us and is dealing with it the only way she knows how, but fear isn't rational. Everything is a threat to me these days." She sucked a deep breath and latched onto the train of thought chugging through her mind.

"Ruby's wolf. Magic. New people. Hell, some days I think I'm going to wake up any minute and be in a mental institution in a moment of lucidity from this insane fucking hallucination where I'm the hero in my own world. That's a thing, right? That's an actual disorder."

Emma laughed hollowly at herself. "I mean, magic? Really? You all grew up in this world. I grew up in a world where people got thrown into the nuthouse when they believed in magic. It's not just the torture I endured in Neverland or the fucked up fear of losing your love again or having dreams so vivid that I can literally wake up and feel Zelena's neck snapping in my hands. I mean…" She stopped, hyperventilating.

"It fucking magic! It's real!" She yelled and waved the hand not covered by Regina's in the air. It fell to the bed with a _thump_, bounced once, and stayed limp.

"Emma," Regina caught her attention gently. Sensing no resistance, she pressed her belly into Emma's side and slipped a hand beneath her neck. She didn't know what else to do.

"I'm okay," Emma proclaimed and wiped furiously at her tears. "I'm okay," she repeated more convincingly and dug at her bleary eyes with a thumb and forefinger.

"So, to answer your question, thank you for making me forget for a little while. Thank you for taking control and giving me one solitary, blissfully clear goal to focus on. Thank you for your patience and understanding and love. And thank you for our children. That was all you. You practically raised Henry. You gave me Annabel and Katy because I never would have thought to take that infuriating little snit in otherwise." She chuckled a bit as the sarcastic, clever girl flashed into her mind.

Feeling lighter, she blinked up at the soulful brown eyes of her future. "I just need to sleep, Regina."

Storm calmed, Regina wiped her tears and cupped her face. A new swell of affection and respect and awe for her incredible wife-to-be exploded in her chest. "We have time, Darling." She glanced at the clock. "It's only 6:30. No one will be arriving here until noon."

Emma nodded and allowed Regina to guide her to the head of the bed and beneath the cover. Ear pressed to Regina's chest, she traced her fingertips over the skin between Regina's breasts made sticky from sweat and sighed contentedly. "We're getting married in eight and a half hours."

Regina grinned against damp blonde hair and pressed a sideways kiss to her forehead. "As long as nothing magical happens while our friends from Boston are here, I imagine it will be the best day of my life. I wish I could say that was giving birth to Annabel, but…" Regina trailed off, and Emma nodded. She died that day, saved only by Emma's magical heart. Regina grappled with her own demonic nightmares.

"The same for me. I wish it was holding Henry that first time, but that never happened," Emma whispered and pressed an open mouth kiss to the mound of flesh before her. They were so screwed up.

"Emma," Regina started. She almost apologized, but stamped it down. "I love you."

Emma smiled. "I love you, too."

They'd always sucked at talking.


	38. Legalities

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Beautiful with You by Halestorm

"I can't believe I let Regina and my parents talk me into this big ass wedding. The entire fucking town is here," Emma sniped and closed the door to the office in Town Hall that had been repurposed to her dressing room for the day. It was the Storybrooke equivalent to a Ball or Throne room, according to Regina, which made it the proper location for a royal wedding.

Amelia, Belle, and Snow jumped at the sudden clatter of a chair hitting the floor. Emma scrubbed her hands over her face and calmed her nerves before slowly righting the innocent chair. She hadn't meant to knock it over. Trembling hands held her weight on the back as she cocked her hip and bowed her head.

Amelia stepped forward and rubbed her hand over the silk purple vest stretched tight across her shoulder blades. "Emma, your love gave me legs. I know it's not that. What's going on in that twisted brain?"

Emma huffed and stood straight before she wrinkled her clothes, which undoubtedly would have made Regina roll her eyes in frustration. Amelia pressed the hand into her back and waited. Emma scrubbed her face again and then slumped into the chair to apply her makeup.

"I don't want to do this in front of thousands of people. We're making a blood oath of unconditional devotion, or something equally overstated and ridiculous-sounding. Those words should be for us and our closest family, not the world. That's all." Emma spoke softly and applied eyeliner at the same time. Fuck makeup, especially eyeliner and mascara. It irritated her contacts.

"Do you want me to go talk to Regina?" Belle offered helpfully. It taken nearly 20 minutes to coax Emma into her wedding garments, and she feared a total runaway bride moment if Emma's limits were pushed further. She wanted to marry Regina, but the crowd spooked her.

Emma sighed. Eyeliner clattered to the desk. "No, she wants this," Emma whispered and hung her head in her hands. Heels massaged her temples and tangled blonde hair that Belle and Snow had detangled twice already.

Belle knelt at her side and touched her knee lightly. "This is your wedding, too, Emma." When she received no response, she nodded at Amelia who slipped silently from the room. Screw the antiquated ritual of not seeing the bride in her dress. Emma needed her partner's reassurances right now.

Amelia knocked on the door of the office down the hall from the main room. A thump and curse from inside made her jerk back involuntarily. It swung open a moment later to a rather flustered Ruby Lucas with wide eyes and shaking hands. Her shoulders fell in relief.

"Please tell me that Emma is freaking out, too," she begged. "Regina refuses to go see her. We haven't even got her in the dress yet." Amelia only nodded.

Ruby scrubbed a hand over her face and stepped back, inviting in silently. "Thank the gods," she mumbled and closed the door. If Regina threw one more thing at her head, she decided to tackle her.

Amelia stopped short and Ruby bumped into her back when she turned around. Regina sat on the floor cross-legged in pantyhose, a bra and an open robe. She clutched her phone in both hands between the V of her knees, staring at the device as though she awaited the most important call of her life. Amelia took a deep breath and knelt in front of her former mistress.

"Regina?" She said lightly and waited for Regina to raise her eyes. Watery brown eyes met her gaze, and Amelia's shoulders lost all their tension with a sympathetic sigh. "Emma needs you."

Regina smiled into a breathy exhalation and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Amelia stood and wished for a stiff drink. Emma Swan and Regina Mills were going to drive her to use again. She turned to find the sympathetic and relieved eyes of Katy and the Lucas women studying her.

"Those two are going to give me another heart attack," Granny muttered and helped herself to the drink that both Ruby and Amelia salivated after.

Snow and Belle gasped when Regina suddenly appeared in the middle of the room practically naked. Regina either ignored them or hadn't actually noticed their presence, eyes immediately fixed to Emma's slumped form. Belle poked Snow in the ribs and then bodily shoved the other woman when she failed to take the hint. Regina finally glanced at the commotion and nodded gratefully to Belle as she pulled the door shut behind her, leaving the two alone for the first time in four hours.

"Darling," Regina started as she knelt on both knees in front of Emma. "Emma, Sweetheart, talk to me." She placed both hands on her leg and then leaned back when Emma turned towards her on the chair.

"I don't think I can do this, Baby," Emma confessed quietly. A dagger stabbed into Regina's heart, but she waited, hoping Emma shared her fears. "I want to marry you. That's not even a question, much less the problem. It's this whole heart swap thing. The regular marriage vows, I'm there. That's fine, but what I want to say to you when I make my blood oath, that's all us." Emma shrugged, unsure if she actually made any sort of sense.

Regina raised to her full height and scooted forward between Emma's knees until her belly pressed into the chair. Screw the pantyhose. No one saw them beneath her dress anyway, not until Emma took it off later that night. She smiled, eager to make love again with the proper hearts beating in their chests. Emma met her gaze when a soft, warm palm touched her cheek.

"It's too personal to share with the world," Regina summarized succinctly, forming a single sophisticated thought from her lover's rambling. Emma huffed and nodded. Regina understood.

Lips met for a slow, sensual dance that always said more than they ever had about what they felt for each other. Emma's hands slipped beneath the robe and wrapped around the soft waist of her lover. Regina's splayed across the white crinkling shirt beneath the purple vest, fingertips resting on beautifully carved collarbones. They parted mutually and pressed their foreheads together, breathing slightly labored.

Regina spoke first, "Let's do it here, right now." Emma pulled back enough to meet her eyes. Relief and love shone in bright green eyes.

"Really?" Emma whined, relief evident in the tears dripping onto her cheeks. Regina nodded. "Do you want to get dressed first?"

Regina shook her head and laughed. "I'm giving you myself, Emma, not a fancy dress and perfect hair." Emma smiled and tangled her fingers in black hair that now brushed an inch or two past her shoulders.

"Elegant Regina is gorgeous. Tussled Regina is beautiful," Emma said without thinking and then winced at her cheesiness.

Regina, however, smiled brightly. "Ever the romantic, Emma Swan."

"Just don't tell anyone," Emma whispered conspiratorially and winked. She kissed Regina chastely and then disappeared out the door.

Regina stood and secured the grey terry cloth robe around her tightly. A few minutes later, the door opened and their entire impromptu and mismatched family trouped in with confused expressions and weary eyes. Emma appeared somewhere in the middle between Amelia and Eva with Annabel in her arms and Henry and Katy on either side. Ruby held Alex on her shoulders, seemingly uncaring about the state of her hair. Belle huffed and rolled her eyes, unconsciously smoothing imaginary wrinkles from the royal purple dress she wore. Eva and Lauren held hands and stood slightly apart from the group. Snow pressed into David who wrapped a strong arm around his wife. Granny crossed her arms and feigned nonchalance. Amelia fidgeted, still unused to being considered part of the inner circle of this ragtag group. It all seemed so blissfully normal, their family.

Emma retreated to Regina's side and relinquished their infant daughter into her arms and then pulled Regina into her chest with one steady arm around her back. Katy crossed her arms and hid behind Regina while Henry peeked around Emma's shoulder to make faces at the girl. Secretly, Katy loved having a little sibling, despite the many death threats and mildly sadistic pranks she played on the boy. Emma and Regina smiled at each other, suddenly shy, and Emma cleared her throat.

"We have decided to exchange hearts in private instead of publicly with our marriage vows," she announced happily.

"Oh!" Belle and Amelia suddenly burst into a flurry of royal purple as they collected the necessary items. "This actually makes our lives much easier. We'll simply inform Jane, Maura, Felicia and Emily that the pyrotechnics have been cancelled," Belle babbled as she set up the chalice and ceremonial dagger that Ruby crafted with Marco.

"Pyrotechnics?" Regina asked with a wrinkled nose. Emma chuckled.

"Ask Ruby," Belle huffed, clearly as lost as the former queen on this one.

Amelia interrupted the moment, "Potion is ready." She swirled the liquid gingerly, mixing the pink and blue liquid until an almost fuchsia purple mixture swirled in the pear shaped vial.

Regina handed Annabel to Katy, who cooed at the tiny girl before clamping down on the baby noises and stiffening her shoulders. Regina smirked and took Emma's hands. They held eye contact as Belle removed Regina's heart from Emma's chest and set it gently on the desk. She snapped her fingers in front of Regina's face, and the elder witch jumped, mouth falling into a silent "O" before pulling the heart from her own chest. It still glowed brightly with the golden magic of belief.

When her eyes met Emma's again, a darkened maelstrom of conflict met her gaze. "What is it, Darling?" She asked. Emma dropped averted her eyes to their joined hands, and Regina knew that more lay behind Emma's reticence to exchanging hearts in public.

When those stormy green eyes raise again, Emma shocked everyone when she whispered, "You should keep it." Regina gasped lightly, unsure how to respond. Everyone shifted uncomfortably. They planned this entire day around this solitary purpose.

"I'm going to marry you today," Emma assured the room, more than Regina. "But you should keep my heart. You're so happy, so free. I cannot ask you to accept the pain and anger that accompanies your memories of all the fucked up shit that's been done to you. I love you too much to ever cause you pain, and this will." Emma dropped her eyes again as tears blurred her vision.

"I can't do that to you," Emma confessed in a breathy, ragged whisper. Ever the savior, Emma willingly sacrificed her love, her happiness, her empathy, the heart of The Truest Believer to spare the woman she loved pain.

Regina sniffed and wiped her eyes, along with everyone else in the room, even Katy and Granny. Damn, to have a love like that. Regina cupped Emma's cheek and lifted her chin, forcing their eyes to meet once more. "Belle, sever the connection," she whispered, knowing exactly what she sacrificed. Emma's eyes widened, not having expected the rejection of her offer.

"I cannot bear to cause you pain, either. You deserve the pureness of the heart you haven't destroyed with rage and vengeance. I love _you_ too much to ask you to carry it for the rest of your life. While I would love nothing more than to bask in the feeling of you within my chest everyday, this entire day represents that fact that I put you first, Emma. I always will, and you've been hurt enough." She pressed a tear-filled kiss to Emma's equally salty lips and then wiped at her lover's tears with a thumb, carefully maintaining her mascara.

She held Emma's hand tightly and uncapped the clear potion with the other. "I want to make you whole again," Regina whispered and sprinkled the severing potion over both hearts, one bright and beautiful and the other with swirling pulses of love within the anger.

Everyone pressed back when the golden hue of The Truest Believer swirled into the air. It slowly seeped from Emma's beautiful heart, fleck by glittery fleck until nothing remained but a bright pink organ pulsing with unconditional love. The ball of magic swirled in the air between Emma and Regina who stared dumbly. Belle scared the hell out of all of them when she laughed out loud.

When everyone glared at the quirky women, she smiled brightly, not one bit worried at the harsh expressions. "An act of pure love," she said with a shrug and a smile. "You were both willing to sacrifice the power of Emma's heart to spare the other pain, despite knowing how powerful the magic within is. Clearly, you both meant every single word. Pure love will break the cycle." She giggled and glanced towards Ruby who smiled at her lover's giddiness.

They all returned their eyes to the swirling ball of pure magic with new respect and awe. It swirled around Emma, outlining her body in a golden hue, and The Savior's eyes widened. "Uhh, Belle, what the hell is it doing?"

Belle threw her hands in the air in a huff. "Why does everyone look at me when something completely bizarre and unexplainable happens?"

"Because you're a genius and you have the best ideas," Emma clipped and swallowed nervously.

"I don't even know what Pyrotechnics are," Belle huffed indignantly and crossed her arms, stalling as her overactive brain worked up a theory for the magic's behavior.

"Just…" Emma jerked when it bumped into her shoulder and sent a jolt through her. "Just guess," Emma pleaded.

"Very well," she started and took a deep breath. "If I had to guess, I'd say that as with the physical laws of this world, magic cannot be necessarily created or destroyed. It's energy, so I think perhaps it may be waiting for you to direct it into a new purpose. I suppose you may reinstate your heart or give it to another, but with that, comes the risk of passing the prophecy onto another soul. Don't give it to me," she added quickly. She and Ruby had enough issues.

Emma smiled and glanced between Ruby and Belle. "I think that's exactly what I'm going to do," she informed them.

Belle stepped back quickly, bumping the corner of the desk in her haste to get away. "No, Emma. I don't want to spend my life either going insane or chasing after The Lost Soul or losing myself to darkness."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I'd never do that to you and Ruby. Just come here," she ordered. Regina touched her arm, not quite sure what Emma planned but supporting her anyway. Ruby set Alex on the floor and left her to hold Lauren's hand. Belle hesitantly stepped forward and took Ruby's hand.

Emma pulled their pendant necklaces from beneath the royal purple and midnight blue dresses. Regina's bridesmaids wore blue while hers wore purple. It seemed fitting enough. She shook thoughts of their colors away and held the pendants in her palms and focused the magic into them.

"Whenever you're ready," she began, nearly choking on the emotion in her throat when she met Belle's eyes and then glanced at Ruby. She coughed and swallowed. "When you're ready, in your hearts, you will have what you both thought impossible. Children, as many as you want," she clarified for the purpose of the enchantment.

"Whoever wears these pendants, no matter the gender or physical limitations," she glanced at Regina with a grin, "and believes in the power of love will receive the greatest gift love can give until the magic of The Truest Believer runs dry."

The necklaces flashed gold and then dulled once more, leaving a faint amber hue on the fireball on Belle's and in the eye of the wolf on Ruby's. Belle covered her face and cried softly. Ruby pulled the sobbing librarian into her chest and hid her own wet face in her hair. One of them whispered, "I love you." The other returned it, but it was so low and raspy that the voices were indecipherable. It was a beautiful moment, and perhaps the exact thing needed to pull them back on track emotionally. A common goal.

Emma yelped when Ruby's wolf hand pulled her into the embrace. The other two women surrounded her, and tears dripped from her own cheeks. The rest of the group wiped at their own wet cheeks and allowed the trio a moment. Granny, ever the anchor to reality, pulled them out of the moment gently.

"That means you two need to quit your bickering and make me some more grandbabies while I'm still young enough to pick them up," she huffed and brushed her leathery hand lovingly over Alex's hair. The young girl tipped her head back and reached up to her grandmother, closing and opening her tiny fists. Granny hefted her weight happily.

Emma pulled back and laughed emotionally along with her two comrades. Belle wiped her tears, kissed her wolf, and returned to the desk. Ruby fidgeted for a brief second and then joined Belle at the desk, her hand finding the small of her back like a magnet to metal. Emma took one of Regina's hands again, ears burning at the adoring smile on the sorceress' lips.

"You may have just given away your magic," Regina said with a reverence in her voice as Belle chanted and poured the purple potion into the ornate silver chalice. Ruby was getting really good at crafting metal objects.

Emma's jaw clenched. "Are you okay with me just being normal? Regular, I mean," Emma asked insecurely.

Regina touched her cheek and grinned. "You're an idiot," she berated lovingly.

"I'm your idiot," Emma mumbled, feeling silly for even asking the question. Regina fell in love with her before she ever knew how to use magic. Their time in Salem before Pan's debacle had been the best months of their relationship so far. Of course, Regina loved her without magic.

"Yes, you are," Regina said darkly, a hint of possessiveness in her voice. Emma flushed as flashes of their earlier and unorthodox lovemaking crashed into her. Regina smirked, smoky brown eyes telling Emma silently that her mind ventured there, too.

"I'm ready," Belle gently brought them out of the heated moment. Each offered a hand to the librarian without breaking the stare. "Emma, make your oath," she ordered, and Emma winced when the tip of the dagger pierced her thumb.

Emma opened her mouth, closed it, sucked a breath. Her entire speech she'd prepared flitted through her mind, and she dismissed the overstated swaddle. "I'm yours, Regina, from now until eternity."

Regina smiled beautifully at the simplistic vow. It said everything it needed to say without flourish and bluster and poetical proclamations. It was real. She bit her lower lip when Belle stuck her thumb. "Regina, make your oath."

"I'm yours, Emma, from now until eternity," she repeated the words. Her cheeks burned at Emma's loving gaze.

Emma raised Regina's stuck thumb to her mouth and soothed the wound with her tongue while Belle spoke another incantation. She thought briefly the iron tang of someone else's blood on her tongue should have made her sick, but they prepared to drink each other's blood in a moment. And Regina's suddenly hazy eyes made the taboo gesture worth every second.

"I love you," Regina whispered. Emma pressed a lingering kiss to the wounded digit with a wide smile.

"I love you," she returned just as quietly.

The chalice appeared between them. They reached for it at the same time, holding it as one. The hearts came next. Their joined hands tipped a swallow of the potion into Regina's mouth as Emma gently pressed her darkened heart into her chest. Regina gasped, shivered, and nearly doubled over from the rush of dark but familiar emotions. Emma grabbed her waist, steadying her. Brown eyes flashed violet for a moment, but Emma's gentle kiss upon her lips extinguished the bright color. Regina smiled.

Emma came next. She nearly choked on the chalky, almost piss flavored potion. They couldn't have sweetened it with honey? Wasn't an eternal blood oath supposed to be sweet? The pinch of her heart entering her chest swept away the bitter thoughts. Regina set the chalice on the desk and wrapped her arms around Emma's waist. The taller woman stared dumbly, jellied arms falling around Regina's shoulders as the wash of love and devotion and forgiveness filled her veins, cleansing her soul of the fiery anger she'd carried for the past year.

"Em, you're okay," Regina soothed. Gentle kisses followed Emma's strong jaw line, pulling her back from the abyss of remorse and disgust she must have felt at her actions over the past few months. Emma called it correctly earlier that morning; she felt ten times worse with her own heart.

"Regina, I'm sorry," Emma whispered into her hair as hot tears dripped onto her lover's neck. Her knees hit the floor painfully, and she pressed her face into Regina's stomach. "Please forgive me," she begged. Everyone dropped their eyes to their navels. This was the exact reason behind Emma's anxiety of doing this publicly.

"There's nothing to forgive, Darling," Regina countered and wrapped her arms around Emma's head. Emma wailed harder.

And as children often do, little Alex pulled them through the moment. She squirmed from her grandmother's grasp and flung her tiny arms around Emma's waist. "Don't cry, Temma. Love you." Aunt Emma - Temma. She'd finally given The Savior a name.

Emma pulled the girl into her lap and held her tightly with a happy grin on her lips. "I love you, too, Alex. So much."

Henry joined them on the floor and wrapped his arms around Alex and her back. Katy knelt on the other side with Annabel and pressed her forehead into Emma's shoulder. Emma slid a hand to the back of Katy's neck, not wanting to overwhelm the skittish girl who truly didn't hug, not once since moving in with them, and stared down at her daughter.

"Thank you, Emma, for what you and Regina have done for me," the teen whispered self-consciously.

Henry saved her from further expressing the uncomfortable emotions. "I love you, Mom." Emma cried harder, tears of joy this time.

After a few minutes of clinging to her children, Emma tipped her head and met Regina's weeping eyes. "Let's make this thing legal, shall we?"

Regina knelt and pressed a kiss to her lips over Alex's head. She touched Katy's cheek and then Annabel's head with one hand and brushed Henry's shaggy hair with the other.

"That's all I've ever wanted," Regina whispered.

Emma smiled.


	39. True Love's Hope

Wow! Thanks for the wonderful responses to that last chapter! Make some noise! We're smooth sailing now! Got no more mean tricks up my sleeve, just a lot of fluff and pent up sexual frustration left for you beautiful people with maybe some lingering angst on the side. I had planned to end it here, but since I've got nothing but time and imagination, let me know what you guys and gals would like to happen. I have at least three more chapters planned in my head. There's a lot unresolved in terms of their relationship rifts.

So, something I very rarely ask, my question to you is: What do you want?

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Far Longer Than Forever by Liz Callaway and Howard McGillin (From The Swan Princess), Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye

* * *

><p>Emma held her breath. Several hundred eyes stared at her, spiking her adrenaline. Apparently, her brain thought lack of oxygen compensated for white hot terror shooting through her veins. David squeezed her trembling hand hooked in his arm, pulling her back to reality. She smiled up her father dressed to impress in his white with gold trim prince regalia.<p>

Her booted foot caught the back of the other beneath the white pants meant to match his, and she stumbled forward, held upright by his strong hold. Chuckles spread throughout the crowd, and Ruby missed a note on the violin she bowed at the back of the rows as she struggled to contain hers. Crimson heat burned her ears beneath soft golden hair that had finally been tamed by her mother and best friends and pulled into a tipy bun at the back of her head. She laughed at herself, cleared her throat, squared her shoulders and tipped her chin arrogantly towards the ceiling. David chuckled.

"Just keep breathing," he guided her gently and then urged her forward.

They had nearly reached the dais built by Marco and Ruby for this purpose. Belle and Amelia smiled encouragingly from the platform; Snow burst into tears. Amelia looked at the woman with a horrified expression and scooted unconsciously towards Belle. Emma laughed again, a bit more comfortable now that the attention of the crowd turned to her emotional mother. Only her family.

When they finally turned to face the crowd, Emma glanced at her father's stance and mimicked it. Her free hand slipped behind her back, spine straight, face soft and expecting. He smiled down at her, and she beamed up at him. It took nearly dying and subsequently being saved by the love of her life in Neverland, but David now offered unconditional support and acceptance of her relationship. Not that it changed anything, but it was nice.

"I'm proud of you," he whispered as Lauren began her trek down the long aisle.

Eva followed, and Emma took a shuddering breath when Ruby walked and played at the same time. Their gazes met for a weighted look as she took her place as Regina's Maid of Honor on the other side of the platform. As destructive as her wolf could be, nothing compared to the beauty it created when she allowed her soul to shine as it did now. Katy came next. In one arm, she held a sleeping Annabel and held Alex's hand with the other, reminding the toddler every couple of steps to toss the purple petals onto the white rug. Alex was incredibly shy while at the same time so very, very clever and straightforward, just like her Mama. Henry, ever the ham, waved at the crowd as he swaggered in a replica of Charming's princely attire with their rings on a midnight blue pillow with purple lace holding them in place.

Emma's breath caught when Ruby suddenly switched positions with her bow and created an entirely different tune. It was haunted and inspired and beautiful. Tears immediately dripped onto the wolf's cheeks, and green eyes shot wide open when she realized that Ruby had written the piece specifically for this purpose. She wrote their love in a song to accompany Regina down the aisle. Gods, she loved that stupid, misunderstood mutt. A gasp tore through the crowd, and Emma jerked her gaze towards the back of the aisle.

"Holy shit," she whispered. David's strong arm pulled her backwards, and somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that she'd tried to meet Regina halfway. Everything slowed down, and the rustles and gasps of the crowd faded to the background. A shiver gripped Emma's spine so tightly that gooseflesh erupted on every inch of her body, including her calves, and her nipples hardened into rock hard points instantly.

Regina met her eyes and clutched Granny's arm tighter. She looked every bit the queen Emma believed she was while at the same time youthful and girlish. The elegant gown brushed the floor as she walked. A swatch of royal purple velvet stretched from her breasts to the floor. Gold lace crisscrossed her breasts and ribs, and two long strands of differing length hung past her knees. A band of blue ran along each edge of the fabric on either side of her waist, separating the purple from the crushed white velvet that stretched around her back, accentuating her hips and hour glass shape of her waist perfectly. The small shoulders showed off her scarred chest and collarbones, leading into sleeves that billowed at the elbow and ended with a blue hem. Regina was a Medieval Celtic princess.

Emma lingered on the dress until Regina reached the halfway point in the aisle. Incredulous green eyes jumped to brown insecurity. Emma clamped her mouth shut and swallowed at the dryness in her throat. Her jaw immediately resumed its astonished hanging, and Regina smiled wider. The emotion vein on her forehead popped beneath the thin silver band symbolizing a modest crown. It attached to her hair, which hung down her back. A simple silver clip, no doubt another Ruby Lucas original, held it from her face at the back of her neck. The simplicity made everything else more elegant.

Perhaps most stunning, however, was the softness in Regina. Her smile glowed, skin vibrating with girlish excitement. She wasn't a queen or a princess or even the mayor as she slowly approach the woman of her dreams. She was simply Regina, a damaged woman realizing a dream come true. Emma wiped her sweaty palm on the soft fabric of her pants, hands aching with a desire to touch her. Charming pulled her back as her body involuntarily surged forward again. Regina's smile pushed past its threshold at the obvious desire in her partner's eyes.

Emma shivered once more when Regina and Granny finally stepped onto the dais. With a furiously pounding heart, she reached for Regina again, and David gave up, moving with her as she took Regina's free hand. Regina glanced at their joined hands and then met the eyes of the rest of her life. Tears shimmered there, and Regina felt the burn in the back of her throat.

"You're…" Emma whispered.

Words caught in her throat as her eyes traced every luscious, elegant curve of the mother of her children, the love of her life. Charming completely dropped his hand when Emma fell slowly to one knee and then the other. Her heart swelled and crashed with the overwhelming love of the pure heart that she'd missed the past year. Regaining those incredible emotions brought clarity to the wounded savior. She was never meant to save The Evil Queen, Regina was meant to save her.

Emma wasn't getting up, not even if her legs still had feeling in them. David bowed graciously to Regina, kissed Granny's hand, and then stepped back, his part finished. His daughter seemed destined to constantly fall to her knees at the feet of a woman she clearly considered a goddess. Who was he to question that?

Worshipful green eyes stared up into watery brown as Ruby's song ended. Regina cupped Emma's cheek when the death grip on her hand moved to her waist. Stacy cleared her throat as she stepped into place, tears already wetting her cheeks. They mirrored those of the entire room. Never in their wildest imaginings had anyone dreamed Regina Mills would bring some to their knees in reverence instead of fear, especially not their Savior and beloved princess of The White Kingdom.

Granny ran her knuckles over Regina's cheek, apparently satisfied with Emma's actions enough to withhold all comment and bluster. Regina kissed the cheek of the woman who had become more of a mother than the one who had given birth to her, and then only she and Emma remained in the middle of their family, in front of their community, their people. Emma numbly took the hand offered to her, unable to tear her eyes from Regina's.

"Are you going to get up?" Regina whispered, her voice echoing off the marble and carrying the question far into the crowd.

Emma shook her head. "I want to be here." Their guests sighed and sniffled collectively.

"Please be seated," Stacy implored the emotional onlookers, gently pulling them through the overwhelming moment.

Regina tuned out the excited lilt of her loyal servant as she began the ceremony and studied Emma's face. Her brow crinkled, and Emma searched her eyes for the cause. Trembling fingers touched the neat bun at the back of her head. With a few tugs and a flick of her wrist, Emma's golden curls tumbled around her shoulders. Belle contained all but an exasperated squeak as her hard work came undone in a moment. Regina tossed the clip to her and then ran her hand through the wild hair she adored. Emma's smile stretched painfully, cramping her the muscles in her cheeks and jaws.

"It was starting to itch," she confided to Regina. A collective chuckle spread through the crowd, and not even Belle found enough anger to cling to at the very Emma statement.

Stacy seemed content to drone on, and suddenly Henry stepped forward and handed the rings to Ruby and Belle. They startled out of the weighted staring contest at the unexpected movement and looked dumbly at the handcrafted rings. Regina accepted hers first and slid it onto Emma's finger, running her thumb over the swirling designs on the band similar to the ones on her one of a kind engagement ring. The vows she'd written flashed through her head and then dissipated.

"With this ring, I, Regina Mills, give to you everything that I am and everything I hope to be. There may be dark days in our future, but without the darkness, we would never truly know the power of a love capable of transcending realms. A love that achieves the impossible every single day. Each day until I die, I promise to grow and change with you so that our love for each other and our children and our family may become stronger."

Emma's chin quivered, and she gave into the urge to press her forehead into Regina's belly. After a few tense moments of soft gasping, Emma pulled back, wiped her face, and accepted the ring from Belle with a violently shaking and sweaty hand. She carefully glanced at her own hand before sliding the ring onto Regina's. The engagement ring should have quelled her paranoia of putting it on the wrong finger, but Emma double checked anyway.

"With this ring," Emma started. Her chin quivered again and more tears spilled onto her cheeks. Regina's weren't far behind. "I, Emma Swan, give to you everything that I am and…" Emma lost it again. "Everything I hope to be," she whined around the strain of tears and her tight throat.

A gentle hand on her flushed cheek urged her eyes open. Regina smiled down at her. "I know, Emma. It's okay," Regina whispered, unsure if her overly emotional partner capable of completing the simple but heavy vow.

Emma nodded. "I will always find you. I will always find our family." She broke free of the chains of her tears under the gentle encouragement. Emma went off script, as usual.

"I promise to grow with you and love you to the best of my abilities every single day until the day I die. You are my compass, my home. You saved my soul, and I want to spend the rest of my life helping you save yours. Without your darkness, I never would have learned to appreciate the love you offer so freely, so easily. You're…Breathtaking doesn't seem adequate, and I am yours." Emma finished quietly.

Regina wiped tears carefully and held Emma's honest eyes shining with unconditional love. Stacy's voice rose and fell, and then silence surrounded them. Regina jumped at the compassionate touch on her shoulder. Stacy smiled at her former mistress and nodded towards Emma. "If you can get her up, you can give her a kiss." Stacy winked, knocking tears onto her cheek with the gesture.

Emma sprang up like a cat. One hand possessed Regina's waist and the other slid around her back, eliciting a gasp when she felt skin and lace where she expected fabric. Delicate fingers found purchase in yellow tresses as their lips met almost shyly. Emma moved first, deepening the contact. Regina followed, content to explore her wife's lips as though it were the first time they'd kiss. Desire filled Emma until her vibrating skin stretched and strained to contain the emotion. It wasn't simply arousal, but a yearning to fulfill her promise, a desire for Regina and their family and everything that entailed from their unbreakable love to the painful emotional recovery awaiting both of them.

A faint tingle against her back and waist jarred Regina enough to break the kiss and slowly open her eyes. Comically wide and hazy green stared back at her. "Emma, is that…"

"My magic," Emma finished, turning the thought from question to statement. They glanced as one towards the hand at Regina's waist when faint pink light illuminated their faces. It emanated from Emma's hand, and she pressed it harder it Regina's waist, hiding the glow.

"Annabel's magic," she whispered, glad they were now close enough for the words to stay between them.

Stacy cleared her throat, acutely aware of the slacked jaws and slightly terrified stares of Emma's friends from this realm. "I present Emma and Regina Swan!" She announced proudly, redirecting the newlywed's attention.

The glow faded as Emma offered Regina her arm, paused for a moment as they presented themselves to their people, and waited for Ruby to play the recessionary tune. Their bright smiles returned as the gravity of what they'd just done pressed upon them. Rather than present themselves to the citizens waiting outside, Emma directed them down the hall and towards the office Regina used as a dressing room.

Once inside with their family filtering in behind them, Emma collapsed into Regina's arms and hid her face in the luscious neck of her wife. "Holy shit," Emma whispered and then gave into the urge to pepper kisses along the olive skin near her mouth.

Regina smirked and buried her hands in already tangled blonde hair, holding her bold lover in place. "Emma, our children are watching," she reminded her without conviction.

Emma groaned and raised her head. "Can't we just go to the library now?" She asked hopefully. Belle graciously offered the use of the loft for their wedding night.

Regina chuckled and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "I've been waiting 50 years for this day. I want to enjoy it from our first dance to the hor'dourves." Emma groaned.

"Plus," Ruby added as she closed the door behind her, finally finished with the song. "you don't get your present from me and Belle if you leave now."

"I like presents," Emma said immediately, perking with anticipation of the big reveal that their friends and housemates had been so very secretive about for the last month. It wasn't enough to lure her from Regina's tight embrace, but she raised her eyes to the wolf and librarian.

"We'll take you to it once you're ready to leave," Belle said distractedly. "For the moment, may we focus on the fact that Emma now has magic the same color as Annabel's?" Everyone shifted uncomfortably and studied Emma. She'd been unable to control her first magic and went straight up violet-eyed commando vigilante with the second.

Regina pushed her back gently, enough to meet her eyes. "Darling, what exactly were you feeling when it started?" Emma cleared her throat, averted her gaze, scratched at the velvet on Regina's waist.

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable answering that question with our children present," she mumbled.

"Seriously!" Belle exclaimed towards the ceiling, arms spread in angry protest at the gods. Ruby choked on air. Emma's ears burned. Granny snorted as Snow and David shifted uncomfortably. Henry glanced around, slightly confused. Lauren's face tightened with concern while Eva rolled her eyes at a cackling Amelia. Katy grunted and covered Annabel's ear with her free hand.

"I like the library and do not wish to see it blown up," Katy deadpanned. "Henry and I will go greet his friend from Salem and point guests towards the buffet. I'm sure Tinker Bell has certainly set something ablaze by now anyway." She disappeared with her younger siblings and Alex before anyone commented on her jab at Belle's overactive libido.

When Emma raised her eyes back to her wife's, awe and hazy arousal met her gaze. Emma shifted uncomfortably under the stare as the power built in her hands again. Regina smirked. Slowly, she tipped Emma's chin back and pressed a kiss to her throat, flicking her tongue against the pulse pounding beneath the skin there. The pink glow surrounded Emma's hands again. Regina gasped as it filtered directly into her waist and settled in a burn in the pit of her stomach.

"Stop!" Snow exclaimed and covered her eyes. "No, I don't want to be here for this either." She bolted from the room, pulling a flabbergasted Charming with her. Granny, however, looked on in fascination.

"Idiots. Annabel wasn't horny when she used her powers," the elder Lucas grumped. "So, what is it?"

"It's…" Emma started and readjusted her shoulders. She stepped away from Regina and slumped into a chair. She propped elbows on her knees and held both sides of her head. She'd wanted to be done with magic. She just wanted to be Emma. Normal Emma.

"Emma," Lauren surprised everyone when she stepped forward with an expression that said she had a theory instead of Belle or Regina. She sat on the desk beside Emma and touched her head. "Eva, could you confirm this for me? Regina, kiss her again."

"Wait, just a goddamn minute. I'm not a fucking lab rat," Emma protested, slapping Lauren's hand away for emphasis.

"Emma," Regina warned with only the use of her name. Emma slouched into the chair, resigned to her fate.

Regina softened, "Darling, if we cannot successfully uncover the origin, we may not be able to help you control it properly. This will help Annabel learn control as she ages. If for no other purpose, understand it for her." She winced at the dirty punch she just threw.

Emma scrubbed her hands over her face and sat up. "Fine."

Regina hiked her dress and straddled Emma's legs. Instinctively, Emma's hands slid over her thighs and settled on her hips. Regina pulled her face into her neck and bent her head, hiding Emma's eyes from the others in the room. Eva held one finger above Emma's shoulder and nodded.

"Emma," Regina whispered breathily directly into her wife's ear. Emma shivered, already feeling the tug of magic in her veins. Regina's hand slid up her stomach and squeezed her breast, pulling a gasp from Emma. "I'm not wearing underwear."

Emma's hands lit up like the North Pole on Christmas Eve. With a deep breath, Eva dropped her finger to Emma's shoulder. She held it there a few seconds and then pulled away, retreating immediately to Lauren.

"What did you read, Eva?" Emma asked without raising her head from Regina chest.

Eva had the decency to drop her gaze, knowing she'd read and seen something incredibly personal. "I saw… umm, a shower, and uhh…" she cleared her throat. "Your intention to please was most prominent."

Regina growled in frustration and stood, "That tells us nothing. All the magical beings in this room, and we are all utterly useless!" Regina paced, working herself higher with each turn. She hated feeling helpless.

"Hey," Emma jumped up and halted the angry pacing with gentle hands on her shoulders. "We'll figure it out. Okay?" Emma's hands flashed again, and she jumped away from Regina to stare at the glittery appendages.

Regina grabbed her hands excitedly, a smile forming. "What were you thinking when you touched me?"

Emma opened her mouth, closed it, glanced between her hands. "I just wanted to comfort you because I didn't want to ruin our wedding day with magic crap," Emma finally muttered.

"Were you thinking of yourself at all?" Amelia asked, pulling all eyes to hers. She shrank slightly at the sudden attention.

Emma shook her head. "No, I was thinking about Regina. Why?"

"Because your magic seems to be linked to your unselfish desires," Lauren answered. "I sensed the desire when Regina kissed your neck, but can't sense intentions or thoughts."

"Which is why my desire for a drink is doing nothing for it," Emma groused and slumped into the chair.

Belle's shoulders also fell at the revelation. Ruby rubbed her back sympathetically despite the smirk lurking at the edges of her lips. She'd not have been nearly as powerful as she first believed.

Regina crouched awkwardly in her dress and forced Emma's eyes to hers with a firm hand on her chin. "Emma, this is a good thing. Your magic cannot be used for selfish purposes. Vengeance, anger, summoning a cheeseburger." Emma's lips tugged upward, and Regina cupped her face.

"The magic of unselfish desire," Belle rolled the words around her mouth, acclimating to the feel. "It's new, but it makes perfect sense. You were The Truest Believer. Your entire existence revolved around self-sacrifice. You gave your heart's magic to another unselfish purpose," Belle smiled shyly at her lover who brushed hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear lovingly. Emma had given them another chance at a child, their child. Belle dropped her gaze coyly.

"Your blood, your natural gift of magic, must have simply been eclipsed by the belief in your heart. It makes sense given you were at your strongest while protecting others," Belle finished succinctly and gave into her urge to wrap her arms around Ruby's thin waist.

The taller woman pressed her lips to Belle's temple and held them there. She pretty much towered over the tiny librarian - everyone in the room, really- in her shiny dark blue pumps that matched the silk bridesmaid dress. Emma smiled at her sisters and snagged Regina's hand from her leg.

She fiddled with Regina's fingers as she spoke, "Does that mean that Annabel may be able to use hers for selfish desires? She was created from two sources of magic, and I saw both blue and purple mixed in with the pink."

Eva answered, "It's entirely possible. She both harmed and healed at the same time. It's possible she protected you, but more than likely, she simply wanted the negative sensation of the powerful magic to stop, which is why yours also disappeared, Emma."

Emma nodded and sighed, her entire body moving under the force. "I'm hungry."

It was such an odd and abrupt statement that it rendered everyone speechless. Regina smirked, recognizing the deflection technique for what it was. "Pictures before you drip hot sauce on your white shirt. I cannot believe I allowed those detestable excuses for food upon my banquet table."

"Hot wings are awesome!" Ruby and Emma exclaimed in unison. Regina rolled her eyes and tugged Emma's hand until her wife stood.

"For what it's worth, Regina, my wolf and your wife feed themselves as properly as a five year old in a candy shop," Belle snipped, not nearly as irritated as she sounded.

Regina and Emma froze. Regina grinned bashfully at her shell-shocked wife. "Holy shit, we just got married," Emma blurted. Granny threw her hands in the air and made her exit in a huff at the imbecilic statement.

Regina's grin grew into a smile as she wrapped her arms around Emma's neck and pressed their foreheads together. Beautiful white teeth worried her lower lip. As Emma's hands slid sensually from her hips to her breasts, the five other women conceded to their uncomfortable dismissal. Amelia made a show of locking the door knob as she left, but neither woman even acknowledged her.

Regina closed the gap between their lips, and Emma hummed into the kiss. Teeth nipped at Regina's lower lip, begging access. Permission came easily. Hands slid across modest breasts beneath a crisp white shirt. Tongues grappled for dominance. A sharp inhalation broke the kiss as Regina pulled back breathlessly. Emma's hands glowed, sending pulses of pure energy into her hips.

"You really not wearing underwear, Mayor Swan?" Emma asked.

Rather than answer, Regina hooked a finger in either arm hole of the purple vest and backed towards the desk until the bottom swell of her ass bumped the edge. Emma fused their hips together and dropped kisses along Regina's jaw. Glowing hands slid up a stomach covered in crushed velvet and lace.

Heat and electricity exploded beneath every inch of Regina's skin. Her knees quivered when those magical hands covered her breasts and squeezed gently. She grabbed the edge of the desk, using the vice grip to lean back, offering more of herself to Emma's almost painfully stimulating touch. One hand moved to Regina's bare back and the other descended the length of Emma's arm, ending just above Regina's knee. Heated lips and teeth peppered her scarred chest with kisses and nips.

"Emma," Regina whispered harshly and buried fingers into blonde hair. If Emma continued touching her with magic hands, she needn't have bothered even raising her dress. Her breasts bounced with rapid breaths, and Emma dipped a tongue between the pushed up mounds.

"Emma," she said again, her tone warning her wife to stop teasing and get on with it. Emma buried her face into Regina's abundance of cleavage as she dipped low and grabbed her dress with both hands just below her knees. It rose slowly, the silk inside sliding in delicious torture against her thighs.

"Emma," she whined, barely containing the urge to stamp her foot. Emma never thought once of waiting for the demands to deteriorate into desperate pleas or begging. Regina was a goddess and should be treated as such always. Suddenly, strong hands wrapped around bare thighs and lifted her onto the desk. She gasped lightly when bare skin met the cool wood.

"Emma!" Regina exclaimed when glowing fingers brushed over her the mound between her legs. A growl followed, along with two clawed fists pulling Emma forcefully into a kiss.

"Inside, now," Regina demanded. Emma obeyed and slid two fingers into her wife's already clenching center.

Regina pressed her face into Emma's neck and muffled a sound that sounded to Emma like what would have been a high-pitched scream. Greedy muscles clenched around her fingers, holding them captive. Regina quivered, and Emma simply stared down at her lover with astonished eyes and a heaving chest. She'd climaxed from only the pulsing energy swirling around her hand.

"Emma," Regina gasped and moved her hips. Emma met them in a languorously sensual pace. Regina moaned unabashedly at the deliciously painful tingle between her legs. She wrapped both hands around the back of Emma's neck, lacing her fingers and praying the friction provided a strong enough anchor.

Her head fell against her back, mouth opened in a continuous pant. Pulsing magic and slow delicious friction drew out the time between plateau and orgasm. Emma heard Regina's silent body signals like a foghorn in the dead of night on a calm sea. She'd settled in for the slow burn, which meant the magic felt sublime enough to enjoy for the sake of feeling it, not just for the end goal of climax. Emma lost track of time as she watched her lover's chest rise and fall faster and harder each time. She was so fucking beautiful.

Adrenaline knotted Regina's belly when her slick muscles began sucking at Emma's fingers again. Red splotches erupted on her chest and throat. Emma stroked her just a bit harder, mindful of her still sensitive surgical area. Regina bit her lip, brow furrowing. Quiet Regina had returned. Emma curled her fingers each time she reached the knuckles and punched at the leathery nub of nerves within her lover.

"Harder, Emma, I'm okay," Regina said as she raised her head and met Emma's eyes. Emma swallowed nervously but ultimately complied with the request.

She thrust just a bit harder. Regina whimpered, bit her lip and nodded fervently. Emma retained the force and increased her speed, fighting against clenching velvet muscles. Regina's brow furrowed and her mouth dropped open. Her stomach jumped and quivered like an earthquake, and she came undone with a slight gasp.

Emma's back muscles strained as she took all of Regina's weight on her neck, and she quickly wrapped her free arm around her wife's back. The hands on her neck turned into arms as Regina found a better hold in which to ride out the mini waves of pleasure Emma gave her by rubbing against her g-spot every few seconds. Finally, they stopped, and Emma pulled free with a _slurp_.

Regina sighed again and rested her chin atop her forearm as Emma hugged her, mostly to hold her upright. After a few second reprieve, Regina reached for the tissue box behind her and offered two to Emma before cleaning herself. Emma glanced between the tissue and her fingers that had thankfully become normal fingers again. The memory of Regina cleaning herself from her chin, pulled tightly in her stomach.

She met Regina's eyes, watched them flick to her mouth when her entire index finger disappeared inside and came out clean, watched them glaze over with renewed arousal. She repeated the cleaning ritual with the middle digit. Regina jerked when she lapped around the lowest knuckles, thoroughly lapping all of Regina from her hand.

"Come here," Regina ordered and pulled Emma's lips to her. She moaned at the tang of herself upon Emma's lips. Her lighthearted lover had definitely learned a few things about what made her heart beat faster during her vacation on the dark side.

Tongues dueled as Regina fiddled with the clasp of Emma's belt and the button of her pants. Regina slid from the desk, dress skirt bouncing as it realigned itself around her body. She sat in the chair and dropped Emma's trousers to her ankles simultaneously. Emma gasped as the air hit the wet and burning of sensitive skin.

She fumbled out of her boots as Regina pushed her shirt up and busied her tongue on her stomach. She nearly fell over when teeth scraped the sensitive incision above her belly button. The skin suctioned into the hot mouth, a precise tongue tracing the tiny bumps. Regina pulled away with a pop, and Emma's hips bumped her chin as they rolled involuntarily. Emma finally managed to kick free one boot and pant leg and spread herself for her wife.

Regina lifted that leg and propped Emma's foot on her thigh. Emma leaned back on her hands as Regina spread her open. "Fuck," she whispered when Regina's flat tongue made one full swipe from her entrance to her clit. She pulled back the hood protecting the bundle of nerves above her slit with her thumb and laved the hypersensitive nub with slow, luxurious strokes of her hot, wet muscle.

Emma moaned shamelessly and lifted her body onto the desk before she fell over from the pleasure endorphins coursing through her system. Regina lifted her other leg over her shoulder, boot and pants still attached, wrapped her arm around the toned thigh in front of her and returned to her previous task. A small slice of Emma's mind told her that Regina's gentle ministrations were meant to help her acclimate once again to sex with her tender, compassionate heart. That part, too, quickly shut down when one finger slid into her soaked and scorching walls. It gently pressed against that most sought after spot within a woman and disappeared just as softly. Emma gasped harshly as a thousand emotions exploded in her chest. It almost hurt.

She covered her eyes with one hand and her heart with the other. Regina added another finger and stroked her tenderly, always touching that bundle of nerves for a brief moment before retreating until just the tips of her fingers remained inside. Her tongue never hesitated the gentle lapping of her completely exposed clit. Regina wanted her to come undone completely, emotionally as well as physically.

Pressure built slowly, and Emma almost asked Regina to stop several times. Probably would have if it hadn't felt so damn good, but the intensity of pure pleasure without guilt and pain and anger suddenly terrified her. The tingling bubble expanded between her hips, and a gasping sob escaped her throat.

"Regina," Emma whined and pressed the palm of her hand harder against her eyes as though it might have stopped the flood gate from busting open from the trickling crack Regina already made.

"I'm right here, Darling. You're safe," Regina whispered, ghosting puffs of air across her engorged clit, and then returned to her task.

Emma covered the crown of black hair between her legs with a shaking hand. Regina abandoned the skin she held with her thumb and covered Emma's hand, pulling it free of her hair and lacing their fingers together. Emma squeezed the fingers of her wife painfully between her own, wedding band pressing into her skin. Adrenaline jerked the muscles in her lower stomach at the feeling.

Regina sensed her need and penetrated her with three fingers on the next upward thrust. The pace never changed, but Emma stretched and clenched with the added pressure. They only pulled back an inch this time and then bumped that most intense place of pleasure. The faster stimulation had Emma panting within a minute and completely flushed. She gripped Regina's hand tighter as her stomach muscles curled involuntarily.

Emma hung over the edge, teetering on the precipice of oblivion. Panic tore at her chest. A shuddering breath pushed it away. Heat exploded between her legs. "I love you, Emma." An inspiration to return the words ignited in her chest, and Emma came undone with a strangled sob.

Regina pulled away slowly and then wiped her fingers on the tissue Emma abandoned on the desk earlier. She cleaned the wetness from between Emma's legs, and somehow managed to get her panties, trousers, and boot back on. Emma covered her face with both hands and cried softly, almost silently. The Savior had never cried before, not because sex felt so good. Afterwards, a few times, when an intense orgasm tore down enough defenses to inspire her to speak about trauma that made her cry, like earlier that morning, but never during. Regina made a mental note to be that tender more often.

With a little coaxing, Emma dropped her hands and allowed Regina to pull her into a sitting position. Emma collapsed forward into her chest. Strong arms claimed her waist and ankles hooked around her thighs. Regina scratched her nails into a slightly sweaty scalp and rubbed slow circles onto her wife's back until she calmed enough to speak.

"Regina." She hiccupped and then hid her face in the sorceress' neck as fresh tears spilled onto her scarred chest.

"I'm here, Em. Take as long as you need," Regina soothed her soul mate and dropped a lingering kiss to her forehead.

"I love you, too," Emma whispered. "I'm sorry that I'm crying. I never cry during sex." Her tone was harsh and self-deprecating, and Regina pushed her back far enough to cup her face in both hands.

"Never apologize to me for something that clearly brought you joy and happiness so pure that your body's natural reaction was tears. It's a beautiful thing, Emma, and if you cry every time now that you've been reacquainted with your heart, so be it." Regina swiped wet cheeks with her thumbs and waited for her words to sink into Emma's hazy brain.

"I will always be right here, Darling. I will never abandon you or feel burdened by your tears. Understand?" Regina asked gently, allowing the honesty beneath the words to shine in her eyes. Emma nodded. Regina wiped her tears.

Emma laughed suddenly. "My clothes are going to be wrinkled for all the pictures."

Regina clicked her tongue and pulled her from the desk. Emma chuckled when Regina waved her hand an inch from her body, magically pressing the shirt and pants. Emma tucked the tails into her pants; Regina straightened the sloppy job with an endeared sigh. They took a few minutes to brush their hair and reapply their makeup, covering the blotchiness of crying and the flush of sex as best they could.

It took ten minutes to wrangle their wedding party, another five for Regina to inspect clothes and hair. Emma swore Archie snapped a thousand pictures in the 30 minutes they posed in at least three dozen different combinations of their friends and family. Emma's stomach growled and moaned and protested the entire time, creating more than a few blooper pics when either the kids, Ruby, Amelia or she broke into giggles. Those photos probably caught some fantastic glares from Regina and Belle.

Emma finally relaxed when she sat at the head table and dug into a gigantic plate of finger foods, probably three times what she should have been capable of consuming. Ruby followed her lead and shared knowing glances when their respective partners stole bits of this and that from their abundant platters when they thought they weren't looking. Regina even tried a hot wing, which she begrudgingly admitted that, "the flavor was agreeable, but the minuscule portion of meat hardly made the effort worth the mess."

Finally, Ruby stood and howled. The room quieted as all attention turned to the wolf. She raised her glass of nonalcoholic cider, obviously intending to make a speech, but the color drained from her face. "Uhh, so I had a huge and quite amusing speech planned, full of clean fun for the kids and sexual innuendos for the adults. However, seeing that Tinker Bell just set the buffet table on fire with chaffing dish fuel, I'm going to go with this: Emma, Regina, you freakin' rock! I love both with all my hearts. Thank you for not kicking me out of your house. And pray my hair doesn't catch on fire because I still have to sing and play the song for your first dance, which I cannot believe you allowed your 12 year old son to pick. Seriously? Do you know what I do out of love for you guys?"

She raised her glass, sipped the cider, and then sprinted towards the back of the room. Almost everyone got their laugh as Ruby shoved a flabbergasted Tink bodily out of the way, perhaps showing her wolf just a tiny bit, reached beneath the table for a lid to one of the silver, oval-shaped chaffing dishes and calmly covered the flame until it choked out.

Belle stood after the commotion ended, distracting the crowd as Ruby fussed at her staff and helped them change table cloths. "I'm not terribly skilled at epideictic rhetoric, but I have prepared a modest inventory of…" Emma interrupted her by clearing her throat and touched her friend's trembling hand. Belle was afraid of public speaking?

"And, no one knows what the hell I'm saying," she laughed at herself, cleared her throat, and wiped her sweaty palms on her thighs.

"I told you! I had to look up half the words you used, and even then only a fourth of it made sense," Ruby called from across the room. Belle's blood boiled.

"Shove it, Wolf, or you'll be sleeping at the hearth in the living room like a good dog," Belle answered her lover with crossed arms. Ruby cowered and tried saving face by giving one of her girls an order. It didn't work. Every knew who wore the leather in their relationship. Ruby scurried towards the back room, and Belle nodded in satisfaction. The crowd laughed, and her confidence grew.

"Okay, since I'm winging this, stop me if I begin babbling or using words that no one less than sixty understand." She took a deep breath, and then another, gulped half a glass of Pinot Noir. She opened her mouth, shook her head, and downed the rest, waving at one of Ruby's girls for another glass. Granny's really should start a catering service.

Second glass in hand, she finally started. "I have never met two more infuriating, stubborn, irritating, stress-inducing women in my life." Regina kissed Emma's cheek and propped her chin on her shoulder. Emma laced their fingers together atop the table.

"I have been disowned and injured and abandoned and cheated on and consistently exhausted more since you've entered my life two years ago than the previous 26 combined." She sipped her wine and adjusted her shoulders.

"That said, I hope the next 26 and the 26 after that are exactly the same as the past two. You have given me… everything. A job, a home, introduced me to the love of my life, a child." She choked on the words and touched Alex's hair before wrapping shaking fingers around her pendant.

"Like so many of us," she took a moment to catch Lauren, Eva, Amelia, and Katy's eyes individually, "you gave me a place to belong, a place of unconditional acceptance and love." A collective 'awww' spread through the crowd, and Belle fidgeted self-consciously. She met Ruby's eyes across the room, not noticing her emergence from hiding until now. The wolf smiled and nodded her head in encouragement.

"I love you," she said, still holding Ruby's gaze. She turned quickly to Emma and Regina. "You've both been so wonderful, and I'm pretty sure I found a grey hair last week." The crowd giggled. "No one deserves true happiness more than you. You've been through so much in order to simply be together. It's inspiring. _You _are inspiring. This day doesn't only celebrate the love of two people I adore with all of my heart; it brings hope to all of us that True Love can prevail despite the obstacles." She met Ruby's eyes again, surprised to find the wolf discreetly wiping a tear.

"To Emma and Regina," she finished reverently. The crowd repeated it. Belle finished the second glass with a tip of her head and slumped into her seat, legs shaking too much from spent adrenaline and sheer terror to hold her any longer.

Emma touched her shoulder and then pulled her into a sideways hug. "Thanks, Belle." The librarian smiled up at her and then flung her arms around Emma's neck.

"I meant it, Emma. You and Regina gave me a life or at the very least the support and opportunity I needed in order to make one." She met Regina's eyes over Emma's shoulder and squeezed the offered hand.

"Thank you, Belle," Regina repeated her wife's sentiment and ignored the twinge of guilt in her heart. She squeezed Belle's hand one more time and pulled away gently so as not to reject the insecure woman. She'd forgotten how much touching her friend absolutely tortured her soul with guilt and grief.

She adjusted her shoulders and touched her chest above her heart. A reassuring hand slid over her thigh, and Regina raised her chin to find compassionate green eyes studying her face. Emma leaned closer to her ear, and to the casual observer, she uttered sweet nothings into her wife's ear.

"I know how much it hurts," Emma whispered, so low that she barely caught the words. Regina nodded and covered the hand on her thigh. "She's forgiven you, Regina. Maybe it's time for you to forgive a woman who has been dead a long time. Let it go, right now. Let it go with your name. You're not her. This Regina never was."

Watery brown eyes blinked away tears and then focused on Granny's mouth as she gave her speech. None of it reached her brain. Perhaps Emma's words harbored more truth than she cared to admit, even to herself. This day was about new beginnings, fresh starts, the joining of two lives, heart and body and soul and legally in front of the powers that be, their community, their people, their friends, their family, their children, and each other.

Regina glanced at Belle's flushed cheeks and smiled as she alternated between a sip of water and a sip of red wine. Perhaps it wasn't too late for her soul. If Emma's magic possessed the ability to change, maybe hers wasn't destined to be linked to her rage for the rest of her life. Maybe she truly could be good, in her heart as well as her actions. She glanced sideways at her wife stuffing tiny little wings covered in orange sauce in her mouth and smiled.

Together they could do anything.


	40. In True Tradition

So, I decided to finish the wedding because… well, there is always drama.

Enjoy Lovelies!

Songs: Break In by Halestorm, Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth and Emeli Sande

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><p>"So, I have one question," Ruby threw out as she joined the group of Boston and Storybrooke friends chatting at the edge of the dance floor. They all glanced her way, and Regina leaned into Emma, grateful for the temporary reprieve. It hurt her heart slightly not to be remembered by those she'd considered friends. Emma wrapped her arm around Regina, supporting the arm beneath Annabel's head and hooked her chin over her wife's shoulder.<p>

"Should we be concerned that Felicia and Amelia were practically dry humping a few minutes ago and are now conspicuously absent?" Ruby presented her concerns to the group. Regina chuckled silently, remembering Felicia's attraction to Emma when they'd lived in Salem.

"Uhh," Emma glanced around the room, indeed finding no sign of her two friends who had hit it off very quickly. "Crap."

"She and Danny have an agreement," Emily supplied quickly, quelling the fear that one of Emma's bridesmaids had lured a married woman into a forbidden one night stand.

"Since when?" Jane exclaimed, waving her arm hysterically. Emily raised an eyebrow, as calm and reserved as ever.

"A month or two, maybe. Women only," she explained with a shrug, seemingly indifferent. "I am relieved, however, that Caley and Nathan will be sleeping over with Henry. The walls are thin at Granny's."

Ruby snorted and rolled her eyes. "And you have normal hearing," she muttered. Emily's brow furrowed at the odd statement, but withheld comment when Emma interrupted her thoughts.

The Savior guffawed, startling Annabel. Regina huffed a sigh of frustration as the infant suddenly fussed. "Please tell me this has nothing to do with my sudden proclivity towards women!" Emily only grinned and offered another shrug. "That's about as funny as Jason trying to tell me that I ran to a woman because I was afraid to love a man, namely him."

"Seriously?" Lauren deadpanned. "The women you jumped in front of a bullet for was a knee-jerk reaction to his, what, manly charms?" Eva rubbed the back of her neck, and Lauren's tight shoulders relaxed, eyes fluttering. What the hell was she doing to her nurse? The poor woman looked ragged from keeping Eva from being bombarded from flashes in the crowded room where no one respected personal space.

"The Kinsey Scale suggests that human beings are naturally bisexual," Maura supplied, moving the conversation forward. "There are simply varying degrees. For example, Jane had never been with another woman before meeting me. Her lovers consisted of men exclusively," Maura offered a scientific explanation with a personal touch, just like Jane taught her. Jane sputtered, clearly embarrassed by her lover's over share.

A girlish giggle on the dance floor caught their attention, and Regina smiled at the sight that awaited her. Dr. Addison Montgomery mooned up at a doting Robin Hood who roguishly whirled her around the floor. Ruby muttered, "Oh thank the gods," when he leaned down and kissed her, clearly as smitten as the slightly tipsy doctor. Good for them.

"God, you sound like Belle," Lauren muttered, pulling the attention back to the conversation. Maura beamed at the comparison between herself and Emma's Maid of Honor.

"Speaking of, I haven't seen her since your dance. Anyone got a clue?" Ruby asked. Emma tightened her hold on Regina's waist.

"I saw her disappear down the hall nearly 30 minutes ago. I think she may have been drunk," Regina answered, her tone suggestive of something darker. Crap. Alcohol brought Belle's trauma to the forefront.

"And you didn't go after her!" Ruby threw her hands in the air and sprinted off, using her nose as a guide. If Regina were honest, she selfishly decided to focus on her wife and their guests instead of chasing after Belle. The woman reacted almost violently when Maura asked about her scar and then disappeared with a bottle of wine. Regina knew only Ruby was the person for the job of tracking her down and calming her. She'd done the right thing and removed herself from the crowd before losing her cool.

Ruby checked the offices down the hall, and then sniffed the air. She followed the scent to Regina's mayoral office and slipped inside. It was dark, save one lamp in the corner. Belle stood at the round mirror that looked like an evil, silver snow flake, staring blankly at herself. A half empty bottle of wine set on the table below the mirror, and one of her hands held the neck loosely. Ruby slipped inside and shut the door.

"I thought all these offices were locked," she said stupidly, unsure of how the next few minutes were going down.

"I'm a witch," Belle said as though it explained everything and swigged from the bottle. It hit the marble table with an echoing clunk, and Ruby started at the sudden loud sound. "I came up here so I wouldn't ruin their evening."

"Babe," Ruby said cautiously and stayed near the door.

"I'll never look like that," Belle said suddenly, her tone telling Ruby she should have understood the words as well as the deeper meaning.

"Like what, Baby?" Ruby's heart broke, and she hadn't even heard Belle's thoughts yet.

Belle covered the jagged scar on her face with one hand and studied the other half in the mirror. "On our wedding day," Belle answered in an ugly numb voice. "Regina can hide her scars. Emma can hide hers. You can hide yours. I don't have a choice. I can't wear makeup anymore. Just lipstick. Eye liner. I can't even cover it up." She took another drink and then another.

"Maura asked me what happened. She doesn't even remember me. None of them do." She laughed hollowly at herself. "I told her I was in a car accident. It's not technically a lie. I just left out the part where I watched Cinderella's throat slashed open so deep that I saw her spine. Not a great story for a wedding reception."

The bottle pulled from her lips with a hollow pop, and she wiped the back of her mouth with her hand, nearly dropping the bottle when it bumped her breasts. It thunked onto the marble once more. "I'm sorry. Go back to the party, Sweetheart. That question just… reminded me."

Ruby rubbed her sweaty palms on her dress and took two tentative steps towards her lover. "Belle, are you having flashbacks?" A part of her didn't want to know, knotting her guts until she thought for certain she'd lose her dinner.

Belle laughed and met her lover's eyes in the mirror. "I'm well aware that I have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I've researched it extensively." Admission of a problem. It was a start.

Ruby took a deep breath and released it calmly through her nose. "Yes, I know you have researched it, and so have I. I've also talked to Dr. Hopper about it during my sessions. I really think you should go see him."

Belle whirled without preamble and flung the bottle at her with viciously accurate aim. "It's not your story to tell!" Ruby sidestepped the bottle easily thanks to her wolf reflexes and winced as it shattered against the wall of Regina's office.

She strode to Belle and grabbed her shoulders tightly, forcing her to meet her eyes. "No, it isn't my story to tell, but I'm worried about you. You haven't talked about it, Belle. You want to be mad at me for pulling away in The Enchanted Forest, but you weren't even fucking there! Your mind is stuck somewhere else, and I can't get to it."

Tears filled scared blue eyes, and Ruby softened, dropping her hands and averting her gaze. "It scares me. I'm scared for you," she confessed quietly.

Silence stretched so long that Ruby thought perhaps Belle had completely shut down again. She crossed one arm over her stomach and held the other, protecting herself from the harsh reality that they might not make it. The only two things that worked for them anymore were sex and raising Alex.

"They were like me," a small, accented voice admitted in the darkness.

Ruby dared to raise her eyes, but Belle had already turned back to the mirror. Belle stared into it, but the wolf wasn't sure she actually saw anything. "Do you know what Stockholm Syndrome is?"

"That's a psychological condition of this world, right? I've heard it on T.V., but no, not really," Ruby answered honestly, knowing Belle would provide an explanation.

"It is a psychological condition in which a person being held captive identifies on a personal level with their captor. Perhaps even learns to love him," she explained succinctly, not lucid enough for a more in-depth discussion in the haze of wine. She shouldn't have been standing, much less having this conversation.

"Rumpelstiltskin," Ruby finally connected the dots. She rubbed her eyes with a thumb and forefinger. "If Pan tortured them half as much as he tortured Emma, they were…" she lowered her hand to find Belle clinging to the table for balance and crying softly into her own chest.

"They were innocent," Belle whined. Between the tears and her accent, the sound barely formed actual words. Ruby rushed forward without thinking and wrapped her arms around her tortured lover.

She grunted in pain when a sharp elbow found her ribs. Her hands lost their hold on the smaller woman. Belle whirled and crashed her elbow into cheek. "Henry run!" She screamed and landed a punch into Ruby's stomach. The wolf grunted. Her mind finally caught up to the situation and she grabbed Belle's wrists.

"Baby stop!" She begged. The tingle of Belle's magic raised the hair on the back of her neck, and she released her, stepping back with her hands by her shoulders in surrender. "Baby, please," she tried again, choking on the tears in her throat.

"Belle, I won't hurt him. See? I give up." Ruby stumbled through her words, unsure what to say. She knelt on both knees, hands remaining at her shoulders. "I'm innocent, Belle," she whispered, praying that trigger word cut through her lover's haze.

A flicker of recognition flashed in blue eyes, and the ball of magic disappeared from her hands. "I won't hurt him. I'm innocent."

"Do you need protection?" Belle asked and cocked her head to the side.

"I'm innocent," Ruby whispered through the tears. Her chin banged against her chest and her shoulders shook under the force of her tears. Belle remained silent for a long time, simply studying the sobbing woman before her. She felt so familiar, and then…

"Ruby?" Belle whispered, and the wolf whimpered softly in relief. The gentle fingers of her lover touched her cheek, and Ruby dropped her hands to her sides.

"Ruby, I'm sorry." Tears of her own spilled from her eyes. "I need help." Ruby nodded, too emotional to say anything, and pulled Belle's chest into her face with strong hands on her hips.

They cried together until the sobs became sniffles and hiccups. Even then they clung tightly as though fearful the other might disappear if one of them let go. After an indeterminate amount of time, Belle spoke, "I think I should move back to the library."

Ruby swallowed the lump that instantly blocked her throat. "If that's what you want," she conceded easily at least on the outside. Her chest pressed rapidly against Belle's hips as she fought her tears.

"I don't want to," Belle set her fears at ease, and Ruby calmed slightly. "I'd love nothing more than to stay at the mansion with you and Alex, but…" She pulled back enough to meet Ruby's soulful and supportive eyes staring up at her. "Four children live in that house. What if I hurt one of them like I just hurt you?"

Ruby bumped her forehead into Belle's chest. "I'll ask Granny to look after Alex for a bit or maybe Snow and David. I won't let you sit up there alone with nothing to do but think about all this crap." This was her moment. Ruby finally found footing in the steep climb of repairing their damaged relationship. No matter what happened, she absolutely refused to allow the mother of her child to suffer alone.

Belle pressed her lips to a crown of brown and red hair and shook her head against her lover's. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm not made of glass, Baby. This isn't up for debate. I won't let you go through this alone," Ruby laid down the law as sternly as possible, and Belle felt herself giving in.

"Every other night?" She compromised. "I really think the time alone will help me get my thoughts in order."

Ruby nodded and tipped her head up, pressing a gentle kiss to her lover's lips and standing simultaneously. She moved to Belle's jaw and hesitantly kissed her scar. Belle gasped and grabbed at her waist tighter, every muscle in her body painfully rigid. Ruby raised her lips enough to brush them lightly on the jagged ridges as she moved them to Belle's cheek and dropping another meaningful kiss.

Belle's breasts rapidly pushed into Ruby's stomach, belying the deeper emotions she'd not spoken. "What are you doing?" Her voice quivered in fear. Of what exactly, Ruby wasn't certain but theorized it had to do with rejection or repulsion.

"I just realized," Ruby started and then kissed the upper end of the scar just above the temple near her hairline. "I've never kissed this particular scar before, and I have been an ass in my neglect of it." Ruby allowed her lips to linger on the skin as she spoke, lips ghosting the jagged lines. She began an attentive descent, intending to kiss every single centimeter until Belle felt beautiful again.

"You don't…" Belle choked on the tightness in her throat and squeezed her waist tighter. "You don't have to, Ruby. I know it's hideous."

Ruby swayed from her mission and met Belle's eyes. "Do you honestly believe that?" Belle nodded and dropped her gaze, blinking rapidly. "Belle, do you know what I see when I look at that scar? I see courage, and strength, and sacrifice. Henry sees the evidence of the fact you saved his life over and over during those two months. Regina and Emma see the woman who protected their son. Annabel will see the aunt who protected her big brother. Katy sees a respected and brave commander who led her people safely through one helluva storm. It's beautiful, Belle."

Belle shook her head and brushed the middle knuckles of one hand over her wet face. Ruby's shoulders fell. She'd hoped… well, she wasn't exactly sure what she'd hoped. "Alex loves it," Ruby blurted anxiously. "It has never mattered to her where it came from. She just sees the woman who made her feel safe when nothing and no one else did. You're her hero, Belle. Have you not noticed that she touches it when she's feeling insecure or worried?"

Belle shook her head again with less conviction this time. She believed, even just a tiny bit. "She wants you when she's upset," she countered sadly. "She didn't leave your sight for nearly a week after Zelena's death."

Ruby snorted. "You know, for a genius, you're an idiot sometimes."

Belle scoffed and crossed her arms indignantly. "If you must obliterate the last stronghold of self-esteem I have left…"

"Stop!" Ruby covered her mouth with one hand, barely catching muffled words with her wolf hearing, indiscernible to human ears. Her eyebrows shot towards the roof at Belle's description of her punishment. "Uhh, not touching that," she chuckled and then coughed.

"Belle, when you're upset, what do you do?" She asked gently, lowering her hand.

Blue eyes dropped between them to study their fused bodies. "Exactly," Ruby proclaimed excitedly, voice echoing off the marble floor. "I might be fun and comforting, Baby, but she's learning from you. She's learning how to be a woman and a person from you, and yes, that all started with this scar."

Ruby pressed quick pecks along the jagged skin and then blew a raspberry against her temple. Belle squealed and pushed her away, "Ruby Lucas!" The wolf held tight, her strength too great for Belle's without her magic.

"Yes, hug or curse me, depending on the situation, is exactly what you do when you're upset. Sometimes both," Ruby jabbed, attempting to solidify the playful mood with slight trepidation. Any wrong move sent her backpedaling towards angry, brooding Belle.

The librarian touched her face with one hand, the other sliding over her collarbone. Belle was back, and Ruby swallowed the burn of tears, knowing this was only the beginning. She'd only suspected the flashbacks for a week or two now, which meant things were surely going to get worst before they get better. Belle raised on her toes, unaware of her lover's dark thoughts, and fit their lips together for a dance as familiar as breathing. Ruby wrapped her arms around her back, holding her tightly.

"Guess this is a bad time to tell you that I heard her say Hera's tits the other day," Ruby panted when the kiss broke, leaving them flushed and breathless.

"Guess now is a good time to break myself of saying Zeus' left nut, too," Belle aspired for humor but fell just short as the dark thoughts still rambled through her mind. Ruby laughed anyway.

"Where the hell do you come up with these things?" Ruby nuzzled her nose against the scar and smelled the fear rise in her partner, heard her heart pound just a little faster with adrenaline. Stupid, stupid wolf. She'd refrained from touching the scar so as not to remind Belle of its presence, to help her forget, make her feel beautiful. In her fumbling attempts to help, she inadvertently fanned the flame of insecurity in her lover's heart.

"I'm very well versed in this world's mythologies," Belle stated proudly and tipped her chin higher as though the other woman might have challenged that fact. Ruby almost rolled her eyes but found the haughtiness so incredibly Belle that she kissed her instead.

Her hands slid over Belle's curves, taking time to feel the changes from the luscious, feminine lover she'd fallen for two years ago. Her muscles hardened during her time as Storybrooke's commander from physical combat and then increased manual labor in The Enchanted Forest. She had retained a slight hour glass shape, but the skin stretched over defined muscles and jutting ribs and hips. Her shoulders had been uncomfortable to lay on from the miniscule cushion separating her face from bone. The ridges of her breast plate created a washboard across her chest.

It was attractive as hell, but it wasn't Belle. Not the Belle that Belle wanted to be, anyway. Now, some of the softness had returned, finding a happy medium between the two conflicting personalities within her unlimited brain. It matched the combined personality she'd created for herself perfectly, and Ruby found her hands increasingly addicted to this Belle, the warrior and the poet combined.

A tongue teased her upper lip, and Ruby opened her mouth invitingly. Soft moans vibrated their cheeks. The tart bite of red wine intoxicated Ruby as it mingled with the distinct flavor of her lover. The pull of her wolf ignited an instant wild fire in her veins. The fact that the full moon rose in two days and the exhilaration of Belle's body wrapped in nothing but smooth silk heated from extended contact with her skin took a sledge hammer to the carefully constructed walls around her wolf's rage.

"God, I love you silk," Ruby panted and backed Belle into Regina's gigantic desk.

She teetered on the edge of control, fully aware that anyone could have barged in at any moment. The possibility of getting caught fanned her rage, transforming it into something akin to primal need. One by one, her brain turned off the lights of propriety. She hiked Belle's dress, fingernails scraping scarred thighs lightly, and lifted her to the desk.

"Ruby," Belle whispered when demanding lips possessed her neck. A low moan followed her name, spurring her forward. The involuntary reaction misled her hazy wolf brain that struggled to comprehend the next word from her lover's lips. "Stop."

She detached from Belle's pulse point and pressed the crown of her head into her shoulder. Nails scraped the desk audibly when she grabbed the edge for balance, something to cling to besides the tantalizing body before her. She'd never been denied before, especially not during Wolf's week.

Belle panted, breasts rising and falling in front of her nose. She growled and turned around abruptly. Her arms crossed tightly over her chest, shoulders hunched with the strain of snapping a collar and leash on her wolf. Rebellious energy tingled in her fingertips, and she clenched her hands into fists.

"I'm sorry, Sweetheart. We can, if you need to…"

"No." Belle stopped short at the abrupt harshness. Ruby shuddered bodily and forced deep breaths through her nose. "Just give me a minute. Maybe in the hallway. I can… smell you."

Physically, Belle craved her touch, sexual release. Mentally, she craved her comfort, free of sexual obligations. Unlike the previous months, she faced her thoughts rather than banish them with the oblivion of pleasure endorphins.

"Do you want me to summon your hood?" Belle asked carefully and lowered herself to the floor.

Ruby shook her bowed head and held herself tighter. Belle crossed her own arms, keeping her hands appropriately away from Ruby despite the urge to comfort her. She hesitated, waiting for words to spill from her mouth. When none came, she left the room, wobbling on legs uncoordinated from alcohol consumption and anxiety. Pumps tapped too loudly in the silence, and she welcomed the darkness of the hallway. She leaned gratefully against the sturdy wall opposite the doors and waited.

Her brain sprinted in ten different directions, all of them crisscrossing in a jumble of intersections and stop lights and detours and yield signs. She'd never rejected Ruby's advances before, especially not the this close to the full moon. Sex had always given her respite from her overactive mind. Solace. Comfort. Confidence and self-esteem.

That night, it felt like a prison.

When the door banged against the wall, Belle jerked from her stupor. Ruby crossed the small hallway, buried her hands in curled brown hair, and claimed her lips in a passionate embrace. Belle stiffened, a slight panic gripping her chest. Ruby's kiss disappeared as quickly it'd come, and the wolf wrapped her in strong, loving arms full of tenderness and compassion. Belle returned the embrace immediately and pressed her ear into Ruby's chest. A strong, steady, placid rhythm thumped soothingly into her ear.

Ruby hadn't lost the struggle with her wolf; she'd kicked its ass and thrown it in a cage.

"I love you, Belle." The words slithered directly from Ruby's mouth and into her ear before wiggling down her spine. She shivered against the taller woman, and Ruby straightened.

"You can always say no. I don't care if it's the day of the full moon. Fuck it. That's why I have an enchanted hood. What you do to me is beyond amazing, but you shouldn't use sex to make yourself feel attractive. You shouldn't have to. I can't speak for how you feel about yourself as a person, but when I'm giving you attention, any kind of attention, you should feel beautiful and desired and sexy and attractive in every single way. Physically and emotionally and that big, beautiful, overactive brain."

Ruby stopped long enough to acknowledge the blush rising on her cheeks at the mention of Belle's unique thought processes. "I love it when you use big words, and when you explain things to me. You get this excited sparkle in your eyes, and it's like everything else fades away except for the thing you're focused on."

Belle laughed once, a quiet sob-like sound. "Every single time, I fall in love with you all over again."

Belle gave her a teary-eyed but incredibly wide and genuine smile for her effort, and it made every word of the uncomfortable confession worth it. "I like riling your wolf," Belle admitted coyly, heat flushing her cheeks. "But you're right that I've used sex as a crutch for my insecurities. Used you," Belle added, acknowledging her own faults hesitantly.

Ruby grinned and nodded once, encouraging her. "Ruby Lucas…" Belle splayed her fingers over Ruby's face and pressed onto her toes, surprising the wolf with the lighthearted but impassioned kiss. "I want to dance with you."

Ruby stumbled for a few steps when Belle jerked her hand and raced towards the stairs. By the time they reached the 'ballroom,' both women shook with giddy energy. A group of folks lingered near the cake table. Emma must have finally stopped refusing to cut the cake until her stomach ache from too many wings lessened. Regina lowered the knife to the table, a thin cut in the icing, and waited.

The two women hovered over the Ipod, made a decision, and stumbled to the dance floor. Belle's neck and face flushed with the influence of wine and excitement. Ruby gazed down at her flustered lover with soft and loving eyes. They moved slowly in perfect Waltz-like elegance in time with the soulful rasp of the man in the song, but as the beat increased, they improvised more and more. Turns and twirls and dips, laughter filling the room from the two oblivious women.

Towards the end of the song, Ruby bent low and wrapped her arms around Belle's hips and under the swell of her ass. Belle shrieked as she came off the floor suddenly, legs straight down her lover's body, trapped by her superhuman strength. She bent her head, unused to looking down at Ruby, and captured the wolf's upturned lips. Ruby swayed and turned, simulating dancing without actually dancing. The song ended. The kiss did not.

"Miss French, Miss Lucas," Regina said sharply in a faux irritated tone they'd come to realize as a defense mechanism against lighter emotions. "Emma is slobbering over the butter cream frosting with the enthusiasm of a puppy. Will you be joining us?"

Ruby and Belle parted breathlessly, suddenly aware of the many eyes upon them. The wolf lowered the librarian gently, not risking her dress riding up when she slid down her front. They linked hands and stole bashful glances with flushed cheeks but silently took their place at the table.

"Mama," a grouchy Alex demanded, and Katy happily relinquished the fussy toddler to her mother. "Kay, story!" She whined at the older girl she'd come to adore over her Mama's shoulder.

Katy glared, having reached her limit of people that evening. "Once upon a time, there was a two-headed dragon named Bartleby. His constant indecision and in-house bickering between heads destined him to die at a fork in the road."

Emma face palmed herself, fingers sticky from stealing frosting. Henry giggled hysterically, and Ruby wasn't far behind him. Belle clicked her tongue, shot a death glare at her lover, and rubbed her daughter's shaking back. Ruby chewed on her lip and wrapped her arms around Belle and Alex, adding her comfort to the girl despite the amused expression on her upturned face.

"He died, Mama!" The toddler exclaimed and buried her face in her mother's neck, sobbing uncontrollably. Katy closed her eyes and clenched her jaw.

Regina crossed her arms. "Katyline Katherick, you're grounded."

"She never asked for a happy ending," the teen hissed through clenched teeth. She crossed her arms, stance widened defensively. She never protested Regina's punishments, but rebellion shone clearly in her eyes that night. A dangerous undertow rippled beneath the stance and her snarky words.

Alex cried harder. "Damn it, Katy," Belle groused and walked from the crowd to find a chair.

"Do you forget that her parents died a year ago? She still remembers them even though she's so little," Regina reminded the angry teenager.

"Do you forget that mine died five weeks ago protecting your father-in-law? My entire family gone in one moment!" Katy shocked the hell out of all of them for several reasons. First, she yelled at Regina. Second, spoke about Captain, something she hadn't done since the funeral. Third, angry tears dripped onto her cheeks.

She touched her face and then stared at her hand in fascination. Watery hazel eyes glanced around at the unwanted attention the entire room gave her and then bolted. "Got her," Emma said and took off after the girl into the cold night.

Regina breathed deeply and looked at her cake with forlorn eyes. "I just want to eat a piece of cake and fuck my wife," she whispered in a low, rumbling timbre.

"Mom!" Henry exclaimed, his expression a mix of horror and disgust. His cheeks glowed a bright red. Ruby slung her arms over his shoulders and dragged him to Belle and Alex.

Emma took a moment just outside the door to assess the situation. Katy stood in the middle of the plaza, doubled over with her hands supporting her weight on her knees. Violent sobs quaked her body, and echoed into the night in anguished wails. Slowly, Emma approached so as not to spook the trained warrior.

"Katy," she caught her attention a moment before she touched her shoulder. The girl flinched, and Emma pressed forward. "Come here, Katy," she pleaded softly as she wrapped her hand beneath the girl's toned arm and pulled gently.

She resisted the entire way, but after much struggle, Emma managed to stand the girl upright. Katy pushed at her shoulders in terror when Emma wrapped her arms around her back and pulled her into a hug. "Stop! Let me go!" Emma shook her head and held tightly.

"Emma!" She hit the savior's shoulders with all of her strength. Emma gritted her teeth and held tightly. She'd suffered much worse. "Let me go," Katy pleaded, her voice that of broken and scared teenager, not a warrior.

"Not on your life, you little shit," Emma whispered lovingly. She and Katy understood each other. On the outside, their relationship looked positively hostile at times, but she provided an outlet for the girl's frustration in the form of clever barbs and thinly veiled threats to her physical safety. It was safe and comfortable, and Emma never became upset or irritated with her aversion to touch. She trusted her because Emma simply allowed her to be rather than constantly push her into talking or participating.

Katy squirmed halfheartedly for another minute and then collapsed onto Emma's shoulder. Her arms circled her guardian's back in a death crush. "I don't want to be an obligation anymore. I'd rather be at the convent," she whined around the foreign burn of tears.

Emma rubbed her back, relieved that she'd finally cracked. She was a resilient little snipe.

"Katy," Emma started and then patted the back pocket of her pants, checking for the papers that she and Regina intended to present the teen and Henry before they left that evening. She pulled them from her pocket and unfolded them behind Katy's back.

"Katy, we want to legally adopt you, not just serve as your foster guardians. We waited until we were married so that we could change everyone's name at the same time, but we wanted to ask you and Henry if you wanted that before we did it. We were going to give you the next few days to decide while Regina and I are at the library." Emma's voice wavered, catching on her tears.

Katy released her death grip and took the papers with shaking hands. The fluorescent glow of the street lights offered ample illumination to read the forms. "You have not filled out the name portion completely." It was a silly thing to say, but Emma followed her thought easily enough. Her mind resisted the idea of a permanent place of belonging, so it focused on inane details.

"Like I said, we wanted to ask you if you wanted to change it or keep Captain's last name before we did it," Emma explained again in a straightforward tone. Her gaze dropped as insecurity filled her voice. "Or if you'd even want us to make it official."

She raised her eyes, feeling more nervous than when she'd proposed to Regina. "Want to be our daughter?"

Katy's mouth worked like a fish out of water for a few seconds, and she clamped it shut. Her eyes tore from the paper suddenly and met Emma's. "Can I turn the basement into my room with a lock on the inside?"

Emma laughed out loud and slung her arm around Katy's shoulders, steering her towards the door. "Only if I can have my fucking cake now." Katy clutched the paper in one hand and wrapped the other around Emma's waist.

"Emma." She stopped short at the door. "I know David intends to step down and make you sheriff again." Emma's jaw dropped open in surprise, and Katy raised a sardonic eyebrow that resembled Regina's expression of endeared irritation. "I listen," she said with a shrug.

"When that happens, will you help me create something in honor of Aunt Marion?" Her eyes shifted nervously, and her muscles coiled with tension. There was something deeper, something she hadn't revealed yet.

"If I can, then yes. What do you have in mind?" Emma studied her face, praying the girl opened up for once.

Katy nodded, accepting the limitations of what Emma's position presented. "A youth center. One that offers counseling services geared towards disenfranchised children, support for those orphaned by the wars." Katy dropped her gaze and shifted her weight from one foot to the other and back again.

"Though I knew her my entire life, I'm not her blood relative," she confessed quietly. "I know we looked very similar, many women in our village did. We were loyal to The Queen, but we weren't hostile. The day Snow's army arrived and demanded our allegiance to The White Kingdom, there were no warriors present. I was seven. The men and women fought back, but they were no match for trained soldiers. They butchered my family as I hid beneath the bed and watched. My mother and father and two brothers, twin boys aged 14 summers."

She released a shuddering breath and then another, reliving the trauma. "Captain arrived in the middle of the massacre and drove them out of the village, but… almost everyone was gone."

She squared her shoulders and hardened her features, steeling herself against the surreal event that set into motion her life leading to this very moment. "I understand now that Snow and James knew nothing of the renegade battalion. Aunt Marion explained it to me after the first curse broke and The Queen began making her peace with her step-daughter. She found a string of devastated villages loyal to Regina and tracked them through the night with her cavalry, arriving in time to save my life and the lives of 12 other children.

"We were the only remaining souls of Marion's home village. Her parents. Her husband. Her children. She'd lost everything, too. Each child became the responsibility of a soldier in her battalion.

"I do not know what became of the other children. We were not aged equally." Katy swallowed and met Emma's eyes again. "Aunt Marion spoke of those children often. She wanted to help them, especially after Pan's War. I'd like to make that a reality."

Emma nodded, feeling the finality in Katy's last statement. "I'll speak with Regina and make sure it goes on the next council agenda."

Katy's eyes widened in fear at the mention of Regina's name. Emma pulled her into another brief hug and kissed her cheek. "Hey, don't worry. It's your story to tell. The only thing she needs to know is that Captain was interested in starting one and that you want to help the Sheriff's Department make it happen." She touched her cheek, and Katy nodded.

"Thank you, Emma."

"Don't thank me, just let me eat cake," Emma exclaimed and captured Katy's shoulders again.

The girl snorted, "I can't wait until you're too fat to best me during our sparring sessions."

"Keep dreaming, shit head," Emma volleyed as they burst through the doors, catching everyone's attention.

"One day, Savior, I will own you," Katy threatened darkly, a gleeful and challenging spark in her hazel eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, until then you are still grounded, and I am going to eat cake," Emma laid down the law as they stopped a few feet from their family and parted.

Regina raised an eyebrow at the physical affection between them but said nothing as Katy scurried towards Belle and Alex. Belle's face softened, so she must have apologized. Emma peppered her face and neck with kisses, her excitement for cake returning.

Regina clicked her tongue. "I thought Ruby was the only puppy in our family, but your sloppy kisses and wagging tail belie your true nature, Darling."

Rather than respond verbally, Emma grabbed Regina's hand and slapped it over the knife. Her wife took the hint, grasping the handle. Archie fumbled with his camera as the entire moment took less than thirty seconds. Emma snatched the small piece from the center tier and pressed it to Regina's lips. Regina bit it and then swallowed, a bit confused.

"Darling, I thought it customary in this world to do this," she smashed the remainder of the cake onto Emma's face. Emma spread her arms wide and stepped back, disbelief in her slack jaw and wide eyes. Marble cake and tan butter cream frosting covered her cheeks, mouth, and nose. Strands of blonde hair stuck to the splotches of confection and fluffy cake.

Regina laughed, a deep and deliciously throaty and sensual sound. Emma glared.

"I can't believe you just did that," Emma sputtered. She'd managed to go all night without getting any form of food on her wedding attire. Ruby and Amelia cackled.

Regina softened, believing Emma to be truly upset. "Em, I'm sorry," she chuckled through the apology, knowing Emma's forgiveness came easily. Warm hands slid around a lean waist and pulled the flabbergasted woman covered in cake against her.

"Oh don't fall for that, Regina," Ruby muttered, knowing Regina wasn't able to hear her. She covered her mouth when Emma distracted Regina with butter cream flavored kisses and reached for the cake.

Regina squeaked, surprising the hell out of everyone with the sound. Pure icing streaked from her forehead to her chin, and Emma patted her chest with sticky fingers just for the hell of it. "Wouldn't want you to miss a single experience, Mayor Swan," she proclaimed in her defense, her voice as sweet as the goo that now covered both of them.

Regina, shocking everyone for the millionth time that day, smiled and laughed again. Sticky fingers touched blonde hair. Their lips met for a frosting covered kiss. Emma moaned at the combination of textures and flavors and nipped at Regina's lower lip. Access granted easily, her tongue slid over Regina's to share the sugar and butter coating.

Regina hummed, and Emma's clean hand tingled against her waist. She grinned, breaking the kiss. Emma hadn't learned control yet, so every time Regina aroused her that day, they both knew immediately. Regina found herself surprised and aroused by Emma's almost constant state of desire for her, to make her feel good with completely altruistic intentions.

"Emma," she whispered and then nibbled a bit of icing from her wife's lower lip. Emma whimpered and quivered bodily with the effort of holding the magic at bay to avoid her hands glowing again. "I think we should take our cake to go."

Emma captured her lips again. She touched Regina's face with her messy hand, keeping the icing far from her velvet dress, and melded their fronts together from the pressure of the hand on her waist.

"Emma," Belle's gentle voice broke the kiss. "You're glowing," she whispered with a skittish glance at Emma's Boston friends being distracted by Ruby and Amelia and Lauren while Eva took charge of Annabel and Alex.

"Also, I just took a picture of that with your phone and sent it to Jason. I know he's still texting and calling you everyday," she added with a wink. Regina's face hardened, clearly she hadn't known about the harassment. Emma shook her head, telling her to ignore it like she had.

"How did you unlock it?" Emma asked stupidly, confused by the bags suddenly at their feet and several foam containers on the table near the mutilated cake. How long had they been kissing?

Belle huffed, "I'm a genius," as if it explained everything. "Come on, I'll take you to your present now."

Ruby perked, wolf ears catching her cue, and dismissed herself from the conversation. She snagged their bags and food, and the newlyweds followed them towards the front hall. Once out of sight of the ball room, Belle touched their shoulders, and Ruby leaned hers into Belle's. They disappeared in a puff of yellow smoke.

Regina and Emma glanced around in confusion when they materialized in the middle of the woods. "Surprise," Ruby exclaimed. Belle smiled brightly at her friends, scar stretching.

"What the hell have you done, Wolf?" Regina sniped.

"Uhh, I think she built us a cabin," Emma deadpanned, finally turning enough to see the small structure.

"I prefer to think of it as a love shack, but whatever," Ruby huffed and struggled with her load and the door knob. Belle followed and switched on an LED lantern just inside the door.

"I didn't have time to get the electric company to run the lines yet, plus you're the freakin' mayor, so you'd know. But the temporary hot water tank has a propane tank attached to it, the fire place heats the whole place and gives you plenty of light." Ruby spouted excitedly, clearly proud of her newest creation. As if on cue, Belle summoned a fireball and lit the wood stacked in the cast iron racks.

"Ruby, Belle, this is… where did you get the money for this?" Ruby smirked at Emma's question.

"Well, turns out even I abuse the power of The Dark One," she shrugged, not one teensy bit sorry for her actions.

"You made The Dark One surrender his bank account?" Regina asked incredulously.

Ruby shrugged again, "Just enough for this and to cover the cost of the food, and the equipment, and dresses and stuff. You won't be getting a bill for anything, by the way. Trust me, even a former queen might have cried at the cost of feeding so many people, but now that I have the catering equipment, I think I might try and branch out." She reached between her legs as she spoke and removed the dagger from the sheath there.

"I thought it was the least he could do to make up for the debt he owes you Regina. He gave it freely, if it makes you feel any better. I mean, I would have taken it anyway, but… I think his time in Eva's fear scape thingy gave him nightmares." The dagger disappeared again, and Ruby turned towards the one-room cabin with a flourish of her arm.

It was big, around the size of Regina's spacious kitchen. A huge claw foot tub and small wooden table with two chairs sat at the wall to the right of the door. The fire place and cast iron wood ring full to the top sat opposite the door in the middle of the back wall. A full sized bed was situated on the left wall in the corner. The frame appeared to be handcrafted with drawers beneath the bed, swirling Celtic-like designs that matched their rings wrapped around the posts. Regina squinted and realized that the backs of the chairs also sported the design along with the cabinets. Immediately to the right of the door, a small kitchenette spread across the wall, complete with a two-burner gas range, a small refrigerator about waist-height, a small sink, and a four-foot spread of counter space with cabinets and small drawers underneath.

"There's a couple bags of ice in fridge in a foam cooler, so you can keep your food cold if you don't eat it all tonight and keep your milk for a couple of days before you have to resurface. We only have enough for two days for Annabel," Belle offered to her shocked friends.

"We found a natural water supply out here, so you have well water. Don't worry, it's filtered, so drink away," Ruby added. "Marco designed everything, so it's sturdy. I haven't quite mastered the paperwork side of things yet. He made the furniture and dug the well during council meetings. I laid the logs. Belle and Katy and Henry and Alex picked out the tub and, well, everything that isn't handmade."

"We also stocked your cabinets with non-perishables. There are bottles of water and Pepsi for Emma in the refrigerator. They should be chilled from the ice. There are extra blankets and sheets in the drawers," Belle supplied to her still shocked and gaping friends.

"Amelia, Snow, and Eva helped pack the mud in between the logs. David and Lauren and Katy helped me build the chimney and fireplace and put the roof on. They were out here finishing it last night during the stripper distraction. Granny watched the kids when you thought they were with us," Ruby babbled, nervous that neither Emma nor Regina had spoken yet.

The vein on Regina's forehead popped during the explanation of their combined present and flashed a brilliant smile at her loyal wolf. Ruby rubbed the back of her neck and shifted her weight from foot to foot. "We have the library, so we thought you guys should have a place, too. Uhh, there's a back door, too. I'd never build something with only one entrance and exit, not with our history of being blindsided. It's over there by the tub. There's a porch out back, so chairs and a hanging porch swing, too."

Regina broke free from her wife and wrapped Ruby in a hug, careful to keep her cake covered hand from the silk dress. "Thank you, Wolf Pup." She smiled at Belle as she pulled back and touched her cheek affectionately. "Both of you. This is positively incredibly and above and beyond the call of duty. You're…" She floundered for the right words.

"Amazing," Emma saved her, and joined them for a four-way hug.

Belle fished two key rings from her bra and handed one to each of them. "Marco made the locks himself. Those are the only two sets in existence. You have to use both keys to unlock it. You'll figure it out. Amelia and I enchanted the locks on the doors and windows with a potion, protecting them from magical tampering. You are 99 percent safe and alone here, allowing for the 1 percent chance that something might happen." Belle smirked, and three others followed. Trouble found their family like a hound to a piece of steak.

"I love you, guys," Ruby said and hugged each of them individually. Belle repeated the process.

"Thank you, seriously. This is… god, this is unbelievable," Emma announced sensationally, glancing around the room once more.

"You're welcome. You deserve it. Now get to your honeymoon!" Ruby ordered lasciviously. "Don't blow anything up with your new magic," she added, sobering immediately.

"I'm not sure that term is appropriate, Sweetheart. The honeymoon refers to the tradition of this world in which the married couple drank an abundance of mead, a honey-based alcohol, which then served as an aphrodisiac, during the first month of marriage. It was first referenced in the 15th century in…" Belle growled in frustration when Ruby covered her mouth with both hands from behind and back towards the door.

"We got the kids. I'll make sure Katy gets her grounding. See you in a few days," Ruby said in parting and closed the door, shutting them away from the world.

Emma and Regina looked at each other's cake and icing covered face, the past five minutes still a surreal sort of dream.

"So," Emma started and wrapped her clean hand around Regina's waist, pulling their bodies flush. "What do you want to do?"

"Honestly?" Emma nodded. "It took three people to get me strung up in this dress. My corset has eaten my flesh clear to my ribs. My breasts have been pushed up and confined for hours, and I've not pumped or fed Annabel at all today."

Emma chuckled and bumped her forehead to Regina's. "Right. I'll get you naked and eat my cake while you do your thing, and then we can take a bath in that big ass tub."

Regina smiled and kissed her wife. It wasn't the fireworks finale that everyone surely expected.

It was much better.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: SO, if you've enjoyed what I've been doing and would like to see more, give me a follow. I'll be posting a lot of little side scenes that weren't included. Also, AJM, I have not forgotten your request for guessing the right song. I've begun planning an in-between story that will be very heavily RedBeauty focused until season 4 airs. It's been a fantastic journey. Thank you all so much for taking it with me! Leave me a review and let me know what your favorite part was! :)  
><strong>


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